A TREATISE OF HUMILITY COMPOSED BY THE REVEREND Father F. ALFONSO RODRIGVEZ of the Society of JESUS.  
Translated into English.  
PRINTED AT ROVEN. 1631.   

THE PREFACE OF the Treatise of Humility.  
THe fathers of the Primitive Church, are frequent in observing upon the ancients both of Greece and Rome, that many of them did excel in most of the moral virtues, for which they were much rewarded with temporal blessings by the open hand of almighty God; but that the virtue of humility, was so fare from being possessed and practised by any of them, as that they had not so much as any apprehension, nor did they frame any conceit at all thereof, and therefore hath not this virtue, any name at all in either of those ancient, and learned tongues.  
That which the fathers said of those Gentiles, we their Children may in some sort affirm of these Protestants, for as much as may concern the virtue of humility. For how soever they are acquainted with the name, yea and with the nature of it too, by speculation of what is said by us, touching that subject yet in order to practise and life, the two Poles are not more distant from one another, than they are from this virtue. For no man either ever had, or can ever have humility of will, till first he have humility of the understanding, and no creature can ever divide himself from the Communion of the holy Catholic Church, upon presumption that he knows more of God almighty's mind then it, but that this man must be hugely proud. So that the very intrinsique form of heresy, is directly pride, as on the other side, a man cannot possibly be a Catholic, but with all, he must infallibly be humble, for as much, at least, as may concern the understanding part of his mind. Because the very condition of being à Catholic, implies thus much, that whatsoever natural repugnances he may chance to find, in believing this or that, he yet gives himself wholly into the hands of the Church, and is ready rather to lose a thousand lives, then to credit his own reason, against her rules.  
But yet Good Catholics stay not here, as if they were content to do God homage by their understanding alone; but they seek alsoe to range and reduce their will to the love and practise of this virtue. And especially this is endeavoured, by such amongst us, as enjoy both the name, and nature of Religious men. Who as they have received the great honour of being drawn nearer to his divine Majesty than the rest, so God forbidden but they should make it their business, to correspond with that infinite Goodness and greatness, which can never be better done, then by acknowledging their own baseness & weakness.  
Of this I present you here with a most lively example. For this Treatise of humility, is not so properly a book, composed upon that virtue, as the Meditations, and aspirations, and instructions of a Religious man, who was breaking and breeding the Novices committed to his charge, towards the contempt of the world and the mortification of themselves, by the imitation of our lord jesus in that divine virtue, which himself in person came to plant. Now this you shall find, not to have been done after a kind of Protestant cut; who (when they take upon them to speak to men of God, and good things) consume their hours in generalities; scratching only such ears as itch, and not passing (as a man may say,) beyond the very first skin of the soul. And if any man esteem me to do them wrong herein let them affront me by showing such a Protestant book as this. I mean not that they should show me such a book of humility, for aught I ever heard, they have never written book of that virtue; but let them show me any such book of any virtue, where the definition of the thing in question, is so clear, where the division is so exact, where the degrees are so distinct, where the authorities are so choice, where the examples are so proper, where the considerations & motives are so convincing, and, above all, where the address & exercise, and practise, and examination, and reflection, is so particular, so sweet, and so strong, and where the way is made so easy, and smooth, for the arriving to the most laborious journey's end for flesh and blood, which is to be found in the whole world.  
It is highly glorious to Almighty God, and it helps more and more to Canonize the holy Catholic Church, when men see that she hath Children, who are so serious, so studious, and so vigorous, as that when they are shut up hand to hand with God, and without any other witnesses, then bare walls, they are acquiring the highest humane perfection for themselves, and imparting it alsoe to one another, upon the price of whatsoever flesh and blood holds dear. And for my part I shall be of the Duke of Arcos mind, who wondering (in those first beginnings of the Society) how it was able to produce such rare men (whilst yet he used to meet them without those exterior mortifications and austerities either of habit or diet, wherein other holy orders excel,) grew able afterward to make a good answer to his own question, when he once came to see and weigh both these works of F. Alfonso Rodriguez, and many others, and by means thereof, to consider how they are wont to breed themselves within doors, and by the use of continual prayer, and the solid and sincere practice of the most heroical virtues, to make themselves, by the favour of heaven, to become as so many unshaken towers or rocks, against the proud waves of the whole world, whensoever there grows to be question, of the greatest glory of God, and the Good of man.  
And this is most true, but yet it is not all that truth which we must fetch from thence. But it imports us alsoe to consider, that as Religious men are most obliged to procure Christian perfection in the highest degree, and particularly this virtue of humility, in regard of their express vocation, and of the extraordinary helps and means which they have beyond secular people, yet no man who calls himself Christian must hold himself exempt from the necessity of attending to that virtue, which Christ our lord himself came to teach, and the possession whereof will carry and conduct men up to heaven, as the want thereof, did precipitate those rebellious Angels down to hell; But there is a world of other motives besides this of punishments & rewards which the discourse ensueing will declare.   

A TREATISE OF THE VIRTUE OF humility.  

Of the excellency of the virtue of Humility, and of the need we have thereof. CHAPTER I.  
DIscite à me quia mitis sum, & humilis cord, & invenietis requiem animabus vestris. Learn of me, saith jesus Christ our Savyour for I am mild and humble of hart, and you shall find rest for your souls. Totae vita Christi in terris per hominem, quem suscipere dignatus est, disciplina morum fuit, sed praecipue humilitatem suam imitandam proposuit, dicens. Matt. 11. Discite à me, quia mitis sum & humilis cord. The whole life of Christ our Lord on earth, was led for our instruction, and he was the Master and teacher of all the virtues, but especially of this of humility, which he desired chiefly, that we should learn. And this consideration alone, may well serve to make us understand, both the great excellency of this virtue, and the great need alsoe which we have thereof; since the son of God himself came down from heaven to earth, to teach us the practice, and to make himself our instructor therein; and that, not only by word of mouth, but much more particularly, by his actions. For indeed his whole life, was an example, and lively pattern of Humility.  
The glorious S. Basill, goes discoursing through the whole life of Christ our Lord, even from his birth, and he observes and shows, how all his actions served to teach us this virtue, in most particular manner. He would needs (saith the saint,) be borne of a mother who was poor, in a poor open stable, and be laid in a manger, and be wrapped in miserable clo●ts; he would needs be Circumcised like a sinner, and fly into Egypt like a poor weak creature, and be baptised amongst Publicans and sinners, like one of them. And afterward in the course of his life, when they had a mind to do him honour, and take him up for their king, he hid himself; but when they put dishonour and afronts upon him, he then presented himself to them. When he was celebrated and admired by men, yea and even by persons who were possessed with the devil, he commanded them to hold their peace; but when they thought fit to reproach and scorn him, he held his peace. And near the end of his life, that he might leave us this virtue by his last will and Testament, he confirmed it by that so admirable example of washing his disciples feet, as alsoe by undergoeing that so ignominious death of the Cross. S. Bernard saith, Exinanivit semetipsum, ut prius praestaret exemplo, quod erat docturus verbo. The son of God abused and diminished himself, by taking our nature upon him, and he would have his whole life be a pattern of humility so to teach us by actions, that which he would alsoe teach us by words; A strange manner of instruction. But why Lord must so high a majesty be abased so Low?  non apponat ultra, magnificare se homo super terram. To the end that from henceforth, there may not so much as one man be found, who shall once adventure to be proud and to exalt himself upon the earth. Intollerabilis enim impudentia est, ut ubi sese exinanivit maiestas, vermiculus infletur, & intumescat. It was ever astrainge boldness, or rather a kind of madness, for a man to be proud; but now (saith the saint) when the majesty of God hath humbled and abased itself, it is an intolerable shame and an unspeakable kind of absurdity, that this little wretched worm of man, should have a mind to be honoured and esteemed; That the son of God who is equal to the father should take the form of a servant upon him, and vouchsafe to be dishonoured and abased, and that I who am but dust and ashes, should procure to be valued and admired.  
With much reason, did the Savyour of the world, declare that he is the master of this virtue of Humility, and that we were to learn it of him, for neither Plato, nor Socrates, nor Aristotle did ever teach men this virtue. For when those heathen Philosophers, were treating of those other virtues of Fortitude, of Temperance, and of justice, they vere so fare of, the while, from being humble therein, that they pretended even by those very works, and by all their virtuous actions, to be esteemed, and recommended to posterity. It is true, that there was a Diogenes and some others like him, who professed to contemn the world, and to despise themselves, by using mean , and certain other poverties and abstinencies; but even in this, they were extremely proud, and procured even by that means, to be observed and esteemed, whilst others were despised by them; as was wisely noted by Plato in Diogenes. For one day, when Plato had invited certain Philosophers, and amongst them Diogenes to his house, he had his rooms well furnished, and his carpets laid, & such other preparations made, as might be fit for such gests. But as soon as Diogenes entered in, he began to foul those fair carpets with his dirty feet, which Plato observing, asked him, what he meant. Calco Platonis fastum, saith Diogenes; I am trampling, saith he, upon Plato's pride. But Plato made him then this good answer, Calcas sed alio fastu insinuating thereby, that the pride wherewith he trod upon Plato's carpets, was greater than Plato's pride in possessing them.  
The Philosophers did never reach to that contempt of themselves, wherein Christian Humility consists, nay they did not so much as know Humility, even by name, for this is that virtue which was properly, and only taught by Christ our Lord. And S. Augustine observes, how that divine sermon made by our Saviour in the Mount, began with this virtue, Beati pauperes spiritu quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum. Blessed are the poor of Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For both S. Augustine, S. Hierome, S. Gregory, and other Saints affirm, that by poor in spirit, such as be humble, are understood. So that the redeemer of the world, begins his preaching with this, he continues it with this, and he ends it with this. This was he teaching us all his life, and this doth he desire that we should learn of him; Discite à me, non mundum fabricare, non cuncta visibilia, & invisibilia creare, non in ipso mundo mirabilia facere, & mortuos suscitare, sed quoniam mius sum, & humitis cord. He said not (as S. Augustine observes) Learn of me not to create heaven and earth, learn of me not to do wonderful things, and to work miracles, to cure the sick, to cast out devils, and to revive the dead; but learn of me, to be meek and humble of hart. Potentior est enim & tutior solidissima humilitas, quam ventosissima celsitudo. Better is the humble man who serves God, than he who works miracles. That other way is plain and safe, but this is full of stumbling blocks and dangers.  
The necessity which we have of this virtue of Humility is so great, that without it, a man cannot make one step in spiritual life. The glorious S. Augustine saith, Nisi humilitas omnia, quacunque bene facimus & praecesserit, & comi●etur, & consecuta fuerit: iam nobis de aliquo bono facta gaudentibus, totum extorquet de manu superbia. It is necessary that all our actions be very well accompanied, and sensed by humility, both in the beginning, in the middle and in the end thereof; for if we be negligent never so little and suffer vain complacence to enter in, the wind of pride carries all away. And it will help us little, that the work in itself be very good, nay rather in good works we have most cause to fear the vice of vainglory and pride. Vitia quip caesera in peccaus, superbia vera etiam in vectè factis timenda est, ne ilia quae laudabiliter facta sunt, ipsius laudis cupiditate amittantur. For other vices have relation to sins, and wicked objects, as Envy, Luxuriousness, and Wrath, which carry a kind of ill superscription upon them, to the end that we may take heed thereof; whereas pride is ever treading as it were, upon the heels of good works, that so it may destroy them. Superbia bonis operibus insidiatur, ut pereant. A man went prosperously sailing with his hart raised up towards heaven, because at the beginning of the action, he had addressed it to the glory of God, and behold, when suddenly there comes a wind of vanity and casts him upon a rock, by procuring to make him desire to please men, and to be celebrated and esteemed by them, taking some vain contentment therein, and therewith the whole business sinks. And so both S. Gregory and S. Bernard say very well. Qui sine humilitate vertutes congregat, quasi in ventum puluerem portat. He who assembles any other virtues without humility, is like a man who carries a little dust or ashes against the wind, in which case the same wind, will be sure to scatter, and carry it all away.   

That Humility is the foundation of all virtue. CHAPTER II.  
Saint Cyprian saith, Humilitas est sanctitatis fundamentum. S. Hierome, Prima virtus Christianorum est humilitas; S. Bernard, Humilitas est fundamentum custosque virtutum. They all say, that humility is the foundation of sanctity, and of all virtue. And S. Gregory in one place, calls it the mistress and mother of all virtue; and he saith alsoe in another place, that it is the Root and very of springe of virtue. This metaphor and comparison of the Root, is very proper, and doth very well declare the properties and conditions of humility. For first S. Gregory saith, that as the root sustains and supports the flower, and when the Root is plucked up, the flower doth instantly dry and whither, so every virtue whatsoever is instantly lost if it persever not in the Root of Humility. But as the Root which lies under ground, and is trampled and trodden upon, hath no beauty or odour in it, and yet the tree receives life from thence, just so the humble man is buried, and disesteemed, and disgraced, and seems to carry no lustre nor brightness in himself, but is cast a side into a corner, and forgotten, and yet this very thing is that, which conserves him, and makes him thrive. But with all, as to the end that the tree may be able to grow and continue, and bear much fruit, it is necessary that the root lie deep, and how much the more deep it is, and more covered with earth, so much more fruit will the tree yield, and so much the longer will it contineve, according to that of the Prophet Esay, Mi●e● radicem deorsum, & faciet fructum sursum, it shall send the root downward, and make the fruit grow upward; so the fructifying of a soul in all virtue, and the conserving itself therein, consists in laying a low root of Humility. How much the more humble you are, so much the more will you profit and grow in virtue and perfection. To conclude, as pride is the beginning and root of all sin, according to that of the wise man, Initium omnis peccati est superbia; so the Saints declare, that Humility is the foundation and root of all virtue.  
But some man will say perhaps, how can you affirm, that Humility is the foundation of all virtue, and of all spiritual building, when commonly we are taught by spiritual men, that faith is the foundation, according to that of S. Paul, Fundamentum enim aliud nemo potest ponere, praeter id quod positum est, Christus jesus. To this S. Thomas answears very well. Two things are necessary for the well founding of à house, first it is necessary to open the ground well, and cast out all that which is lose, till at length you arrive to that which is firm, that so you may builld afterwand upon it, and uhen this is done, you begin to lay the first stone, which with the rest, then laid is the principal foundation of the building. After this manner saith S. Thomas, do Humility and faith behave themselves one towards another, in the spiritual building of virtue Humility is that which opens the soil, and the office thereof is, to dig deep into the earth, to cast out all that which is lose, which signifies the weakness of man's force. So that you must not lay your foundation upon your own strength; for all this is no better than said; all this is to be cast out; distrusting yourselves; and still you must be digging on, till you come to the firm stone, and the living rock, which is Christ our Lord. Petra autem erat Christus. This indeed is the principal foundation; but yet not with standing, because for the settling of this foundation, there is need alsoe of that other, humility is alsoe called a foundation; And so he, who by means of humility, will open the soil well, and dig deep into the knowledge of himself, and cast out all the saind of his own esteemation, and confidence in himself; will arrive to that true foundation, which is Christ our Lord; and this man will raise a good building, which will not be driven down, though; the winds blow, and the waters beat; because it is founded upon the firm rock. But on the other side, if he build without humility, the building will instantly sink down because it is founded upon saind.  
They are not true virtues; but apparent only and false, which are not founded upon Humility. And so S. Augustine saith, that in those Romans, and ancient Philosophers, there was no true virtue; not only because they wanted Charity, (which is the form and gives life and being to all virtue, and without which there is no true and perfect virtue) but besides, because they wanted alsoe the foundation of humility; and in their Fortitude, Temperance, and justice, they desired to be esteemed, and to be talked of when they were dead; and so their virtues were but certain empty things, and without substance; and indeed they were but shadows, or shows of virtue. And so, as they were not perfect and true, but only apparent, the Saint saith, that God rewarded the Romans for them with temporal blessings of this life, which are alsoe blessings but of appearance. If therefore you mean to build up true virtue in your souls, procure first to lay a deep foundation of humility therein. Magnus esse vis, à minimo incipe; cogitas magnam fabricam construere celsitudinis; de fundamento prius cogita humilitatis. If you desire, saith S. Augustine, to be truly great, and to erect a high building of virtue in your hearts, you must open the ground very low; Et quantum quisque vult, & disponit super imponere molem edificij, quanto erat maius aedificium, tantò altius fodit fundamentum. As much more high as a man means to raise his building so much the lower must he lay his foundation. For there is no high without low; and after the proportion or rate, that you will dig deep, and lay the foundation of Humility low; so much the higher will you be able to raise the Tower of evangelical perfection, which you have begun. S. Thomas of Aquine, amongst other grave sentences which are remembered to have been his, said thus of Humility. He who goes on with desire to be honoured, he who flies from being contemned, and if he, is troubled, at it, is fare from perfection, though he, should work wonders: for in fine his virtue, hath no foundation.   

Wherein it is declared more particularly, how humility is the foundation of all the virtues; and this is done by discoursing of the chief of them. CHAPTER III.  
TO the end that it may the better be seen, how true this sentence of the Saints is, That humility is the foundation of all the virtues, and how necessary this foundation is for them all, we will bresfely go discoursing upon the chief of them. And to begin with the Theological virtues, humility is necessary towards faith.  
I omit here to say any thing of Infants, into whom faith is infused in Baptism, without any proper act of their own; but I will only speak of them who are already endued with the use of reason. Faith therefore supposes a submiss and humble understanding; In captivitatem redigentes omnem intellectum, in obsequium Christi; subdunig, (as the Apostle S. Paul saith) our understanding, to the obedience of the Faith of Christ our Lord. And so à proud understanding, gives difficulty and impediment, against the receiving of the faith; and Christ our redeemer declared as much to the Pharises in this manner, Quomodo potestis credere, qui gloriam ab invicem accipitis, & gloriam quae à solo Deo est, non quaeritis? How will you be able to believe, who receive glory from one another, and seek not for that glory, which is of God alone. And not only is humility necessary for the first receiving of Faith, but for the preservation also thereof. And it is generally the doctrine of the Doctors, and Saints, that pride is the beginning of all herises, when a man esteems his opinion and judgement so much, that he preferes it before the common voice of the aints, and of the Church; and so he comes to fall upon heresies. And so the Apostle saith, Hoc autem scitote, wiq do Snovissimis diebus, instabunt tempora periculosa, & erunt homines seipsos amantes, cupido, elati, superbi. I give you to understand, that in the latter days, there will be dangerous times, for men will be great lovers of themselves, covetous, puffed up, and proud, and he imputes heresies to puffing up and pride, as S. Augustine declares very well.  
The virtue also of hope, is conserved and maintained by humility; because the humble man, finds and feels his necessity, and knows that of himself, he can do nothing, and so he resorts to God more earnestly, and places all his hope in him.  
Charity also and the love of God, is quickened and kindled by humility; because the humble man knows, that what soever he hath, comes to him from the hand of God, and that himself is very fare from deserving it; and by this consideration he is much inflamed towards the love of God. Quis est homo quia magnificas eum, aut quid apponis erga eum cor tuum? What is man (said the holy job) that thou shouldst remember him, and set thy hart upon him, and vouchsafe him so many benefits and favours? I to be so wicked towards thee, and thou to be so good towards me? I to be so earnest in offending thee day by day, and thou in doing, me favours every hour. This is one of the most principal motives, whereof Ss. have ever been wout to serve themselues, that so they might be much inflamed with the love of God. For when they most considered their own indignity, and misery, they found themselves most obliged to love God, who was pleased to place his eyes upon so great baseness. Magnificat anima mea Dominum (said the most sacred Queen of the Angels) quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae. My soul doth magnify our Lord, because he vouchsafed to look upon the baseness of his, slave. As for the Charity of men towards their neighbours, it is easily to be seen, how necessary Humility is. For one of those things which is most wout to cool, and lessen our love to our neighbourgs, is to judge of their faults, and to hold them to be full of imperfections and defects. But the humble man is very fare from this, for his eyes are ever cast in upon his own errors, and he never considers any thing in others but their virtues; and so he holds all other men to be good, and himself only to be imperfect, and faulty, and unworthy to live amongst his brethren. And from hence is wout to grow a great estimation, respect, and love to them all. Besides, the humble man is not troubled, that all men should be preferred before him, and that much account is made of them, and to, himself a love is forgotten; or that things of greater moment, are recommended to the care of others, and the least and meanest to him. No envy hath any place amonght humble men, for envy springs from pride; and therefore if there be humility, there will be no envy or contention, or any thing which may weaken a man's love to his neighbours.  
From Humility also groves Patience, which is so necessary to all men in this life. For the humble man acknowledges his faults and sins and considers himself to be whorthy of any punishment; and no affliction comes tho him, which he esteems not to be less, than it should have been, in respect of his faults; and so he holds his peace, and knows not how to complain, but rather saith with the Prophet Michaeas, Iram domini portabo, quoniam peccwi I will suffer willingly that punishment which God shall send me because, I have sinned against him. And so, as the proud man is ever complaining, and still thinks that men do him wrong, though they do him right, and that they treat him not as he deserves, so the man who is humble, though indeed you do him wrong, perceives it not and judges it to not be such nor doth he imagine that you ever give him any offence, nay rather it seems to him, that you let him live at great ease and how soever you proceed with him, he is very well satisfied that you treat him better than he deserves.  
Humility is also a mighty means towards Patience. And therefore the wiseman, advising him who means to serve Almighty God, to prepare himself to suffer temptations & disgusts, and to arm himself with Patience, assigns him for the means thereof, that he should be humble. De prime cor tuum & sustine. Carry thy hart abased, and then suffer. Omne quod tibi applicitum fuerit, accipe, & in dolore sustine. Receive all that in good part which comes upon thee, though it be very contrary to thy gust, and to thy sense; and endure it though it put thee to pain. But how shall this be done? What kind of armour is that; which you mean to put upon me, to the end that I may not feel affliction; or if I feel it, that I may be able to support it? In humilitate tua patientiam habe. Possess Humility; and so you shall have Patience.  
From Humility doth alsoe springe, that kind of peace, which is so much desired by all; & which is so necessary for such as are Religious. So saith Christ our Saviour. Discite à me, quia mitis sum & humilis cord, & invenietis requiem animabus vestris. Be humble and you shall possess great peace, both with in yourselves, and with your brethren. And as amongst the proud, there are ever contentions, and disputes and brawls, Inter superbos (saith the wise man) semper iurgia sunt, so amongst such as are humble, there can be no contention or strife, except only that holy strife and contention, who may be the inferior & may give all kind of advantage to his fellow; which was that blessed contention which occurred between S. Paul the Hermit, and S. Anthony, about, who should first break the bread; one of them importuning the other to do it, because he was his guest, and the other him because he was his elder; and each of them procuring to honour, and prefer his fellow Thief are good contentions and strifes; which as they grow from true Humility, and fraternal Charity, so do they also strengthen and conserve the same.  
Let us now pass on to those three virtues, which are proper, and essential to à Religious man, to which we oblige ourselves, by the three vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. Povertie hath so great conjunction and is so near of kin to Humility, that they seem to be sisters. And so some holy writers, by that poverty of Spirit, which Christ our Lord put for the first of the Beatitudes, understand Humility, and others voluntary poverty, which is the fame that Religious men profess. And it is necessary, that Poverty be ever accompanied by Humility, for the one without the others is dangerous. A spirit of vainglory, and pride is easily derived from base clothing, and from pride uses to grow a contempt of others. And for this reason, S. Augustine declined the use of such apparel, as was extraordinary lyneane, or base; and took care that his Religious should wear decent and civil , the better to fly from that inconvenience. Humility is alsoe necessary for us, to the end that we may not desire to be too well accommodated, and that we may not be too careful to want nothing; but rather that we may content our selves, with what soever they give us, yea and with the very worst, since we are poor, and profess Povertie.  
That Humility is necessary for the preserving of Chastity, we have many examples, in the histories of the fathers of the Desert, of ugly and abominable falls of men, who had already spent many of their years, in a solitary and penitential life, all which proceeded from want of Humility, and from confiding and presuming on themselves; which God is wont to punish, by permitting men to fall into those other sins. Humility is also, so great an ornament to Chastity, and poverty, that S. Bernard saith, sine Humilitate, audeo dicere, nec virginitas Mariae, deo placuisset. I dare adventuri to say, that even the virginity it self, of our B. Lady, would not have been pleasing to God, without Humility.  
Let us now come to the virtue of Obedience wherein our H. Father requires as of the Society to excel. A clear truth it is, that both he cannot be truly obedient, who is not humble, and that he who is humble, must medes be obedient. The humble man, may be commanded to do any thing; but so may not he, who is not humble. The humble man frames no contrary judgements, but conformes himself in all things to his Superior; and not only in the work, but even ni the will, and understanding also; nor makes he any contradiction, or resistance.  
If now we will come to speak of Prayer upon which the very life of a Religious and spiritual man relies, if it be not accompanined with Humility, it is of no worth; Whereas Prayer with Humility pierces heaven. Oratio humilianus se nubes penetrabit, & donec propinquet, non consolabitur, & non discedet, donec altissimus aspiciat. The Prayer of him who humbles himself, doth penetrate heaven, saith the wise man; and he will not give over till he obtain all that which he desires, at the hands of God. That holy and humble judith, being shut up in her Oratory, clad with Sackcloth, and covered with ashes & prostrate upon the earth, cries out in these wores, Humilium, & mansuetorum, semper tibi placuit deprecatio. The Prayer of the humble, and meek of hart was ever pleasing to thee O Lord. Respexit in orationem humilium, & non sprevit precem eorum. God beheld the prayer of the humble, and desprised not their petitions. Ne avertatur humilis factus confusus. Never think that the humble man shall be driven a way or that he shall departed out of countenance; he shall obtain what he asks, God will here his prayer. Do but consider, how highly that humble prayer of the Publican of the Gospel pleased God; he who presumed not so much, as to list up his eyes to heaven, or to approach the Altar; but disposing himself far of, into a corner of the Temple, and knocking his breast with humble acknowledgement of himself; he said, O Lord have mercy upon me for I am a grievous sinner. Dico vobis, descendit hic iustificatus in domum suam ab illo. I tell you of a truth (saith Christ our Redeemer) that this man went justified out of the Temple, and that proud Pharisie, who held himself for a Saint, went condemned. In this very manner, might we go discoursing of the rest of the virtues; and therefore if you desire to go the next way, for the hettinge of them all, and to learn a short and compendious document, for the speedy obtaining of perfection, this is it. Be humble.   

Of the particular necessity which they have of this virtue, who profess to procure the salvation of their neighbour's souls. CHAPTER four  
QVanto maiores humilia te in omnibus; & coram Deo invenies gratiam. How much thou art greater, so thou humble thyself (saith the wise man) so much the more, and thou shall find grace in the sight of God. We who make profession, to gain souls to God, have the office of Grandes. For we may say (for our confusion) that God hath called us to a very high state; since our institute is to sew the holy Church, in certain ministeries which are very eminent and high, to which God chose the Apostles; namely the preaching of the Gospel, the administration of the Sacraments, and the dispensation of his most precious blood so that we may say with Saint Paul, dedit nobis ministerium reconciliationis. He calls the preaching of the Gospel, the dispensation of the Sacraments, by which, grace is communicated, the ministry of Reconciliation. Et posuit in nobis verbum reconciliationis; pro Christo ergo Legatione fungimur; God hath made us his servants, his Ambassadors, as his Apostles were Legates of that chief Bishop jesus Christ: tongues and instruments of the holy Ghost. Tanquam Deo exhortante per nos. Our Lord is pleased to speak to souls by our tongues by these tongues of flesh will our lord move the hearts of men for this, have we there fore more need than others, of the virtue of Humility: and that upon twoe reasons first, because by how much the more high our institute and vocation is, so much more hazard shall we run, and so much greater will be the combat of vanity and pride. The highest hills (as S. Jerome saith) are assaulted by the stiffest winds We are employed in very high ministeries, and for this are we respected and esteemed over the world. We are held to be Saints, and even for other Apostles upon earth, and that all our conversation is sanctity, and that our study is to make them alsoe Saints. With whom we converse: Here is need of a great foundation of Humility, that so high a building as this, may not be driven down to the ground. We had need have great strength of virtue, that we may be able to bear the weight of honour,  all the circumstances thereof. A hard task it is, to walk in the midst of honours, and that yet no part thereof should fasten itself to the hart. It is not every body's case, to have a head that can be safe, so high. O how many have grown giddy and fallen down from that high state, wherein they were, for want of the foundation of Humility? how many who seemed Zagles, sowringe up in the exercise of several virtues, have through pride, become as blind as bats. That Monk wrought Miracles, of whom it is written in the life of S. Pachomius, and Palemon, that he walked upon burning coals, without hurting himself; but he grow proud upon that very occasion, and he though a contemptuoustly of others; and said (meaning of himself) that he was a Saint, who could walk upon coals, without burning himself which of you said he can do so much? Saint Palemon reproved him for this, perceiving that it grew in him from pride; and at length he came to fall miserably, and to end ill. The holy Scripture & the histories of Saints lives, are full of such examples as this.  
For this do we therefore stand in particular need to be very well grounded in this virtue; for if we be not, we shall run great hazard of being giddy, and of falling into the sin of pride; yea and that the greatest of all others which is spiritual pride. S. Bonaventure declaring this, saith, That there are towe kinds of pride; one which concerns temporal things, and this is called carnal pride; and another which concerns things spiritual, and this is called spiritual pride; and he saith that this second, is a greater pride, and a greater sin than the former. The reason hereof is clear. For, as S. Bonaventure saith the proud man is a thief, and commits robbery; for he runs away with the goods of another, against the will of the owner; by having stolen the honour and glory which is proper to God, and which he will not give away but reserve to himself. Gloria meam alteri non dabo, saith he by the Prophet Esay; and this, as I was saying, Doth the proud man steal from God, and he runs away with it, and applies it to himself. Now when a man grows proud of any natural advantage, as of nobility, of agility, and strength of body, of quickness of understanding, of learning, or the like, this man is a robber, but yet the thest is not so great. For though it be true, that all these blessings are of God, they are yet but as the chaff of his house; but he who shall grow proud of his spiritual gifts, as namely of sanctity, or of the fruit which is gathered by gaining souls, this is a great thief, a famous thief, a robber of the honour of God, and who steals those jewels which he esteems the most rith, and of the greatest price and value, and which indeed were set at so high a rate, that he thought his own blood and life, well employed upon the purchose thereof. For this reason, the B. S. Francis was full of care and fear lest he should fall into pride, & he was wont to say thus to God. O Lord if thou give me any thing, keep it for me who dare not trust myself with it, for I am no better than a thief, and am still running away with thy goods. And now let us alsoe, walk on with the same fear, since we have much more reason to be afraid, & are fare from being so humble as S. Fraces was. Let us not fall into his so dangerous pride; let us not run away with those goods of God, which he hath put with so much confidence into our hands. Let no part thereof stick to us, let us attribute nothing to our selves, but return the whole, back to God.  
It was not without great mystery, that Christ our Savyour when he appeared to his Disciples, upon the day of his glorious Ascension, reproved them first for their incredulity, and hardness of hart, & commanded them afterward, to go & preach the Gospel, we the whole world, and gave them power to work many & mighty miracles. For he gives us hereby to understand, that he who is to be exalted, to the doenig of great things, hath need to be humbled first, and to be abased in himself, and to have a true knowledge of his own frailties & miseries, that so, though afterward he come to fly above the heavens, and to work miracles, he may yet remain still entire, in the knowledge of himself, & stick fast to the understanding of his own baseness, without attributing any other thing to himself, than unworthiness. Theodoret, to his purpose, notes that God resolving to choose Moses, for the Kaptaine, & conductor of his people, & to work, by his means, such wondrous and prodigious things, as he resolved to let the world so, thought fit, for the cause aforesaid, that first that very hand, wherewith he was to deride the read sea, & effect of other things so very strange, being first put into his bosom, should be then drawn forth, & seen by himself, to be full of Leprosy.  
A second reason, for which we stand in more particular necessity of Humility, is to the and that we may gather fruit, in those very ministeries wtherein we are employed. So that Humility is necessary for us, not only in regard of our own improvement lest otherwise we should grow vain & proud, & so cast away ourselves; but besides, for the gaining of our neighbours, & the bringing forth fruit in their souls. One of the most principal means towards thi● end, is Humility, and that we distrust ourselves, and that we vely no● upon our own industry, or prudence, or other parts, but that we place all our confidence in God, and ascribe and refer all to him, according to that of the wiseman; Habe fid●ciam in Domino, ex toto corde tuo, & ne invitaris prudentiae tuae. Put your confidence in God with your whole hart & rely not upon your own prudence. And the reason here of is (as afterw and I shall declare more at large) because, when, through distrust of ourselves, we place all our confidence in God, we ascribe it all to him, & put the whole business to his account; whereby we oblige him much, to take care thereof. O Lord dispatch thine own business, the conversion of soul is thine, and not ours; alas what pover can we have to save souls? But non when we are confident in the means we use, and in the discourses which we are able to make, we bring ourselves to be parties to the business, & attribute much to ourselves, & all that do we take from Almighty God. They are like twoe balances: for look how much the one rises & so much, the other will be sure to fall; as much as we attribute to our selves, so much we take from God, and run away with the glory and honour which is only his; & thus he comes to permit, that no effect is wrought. And I pray God, that this be not some times the cause, why we do our neighbours no more good.  
We read in the life of our B. Father Ignatius, that by certain discourses of the Christian Doctrine which he made some times in Rome, with plain, and rude, and improper words, (for he was them nothing skilful in the Italian tongue) he yet wrough so great fruit in souls, that upon the end of his speech, his auditors would have their heart's al● wounded, & came with such sighs, & sobs, & tears, to the feet of a Ghostly Father, that through excess of grieving and weeping they could hardly speak. And this grew, because he put no trust in his own words, but only in that Spirit by which he spoke. Non in persuasibilibus humanae sapientiae verbis, sed i● ostentione spiritus, & virtutis. Not in the persuading words of humanae wisdom, but in the manifestation of Spirit & truth; as S. Paul saith. He was distrustful of himself, & placed all his confidente in God & so God gave strength and spirit to those improper and rude words of his which seemed even to dart burning flames, into the hearts of his hearers. And now I know not, whether the reason why we produce not at this day, so great fruit, be not because we stick much closer to the opinion of our own prudence; & because we rest, and rely much upon our own means of persuasion, and our learning, & discourse, & our polite and elegant manner of declaring our minds, and we go gustinge and delighting ourselves much with ourselves. O well then, saith God, when you conceive that you have said the best things, & delivered the most convincing reasons, and remain content and jolly, with conceit that you have done great matters, you shall then effect least of all. And that shall be fulfilled in you, which the Prophet O●e said, Da eis Domine; quid dabis eyes? Da eis vuluam sine liberis, & ubera arentia. I will take order, that thou shalt be a barren mother, & that thou shalt have no more thereof but the name. You shall be such, or such a Father, and such a Preacher you shall be called; but you shall remain, as I said, with the only name, and you shall have no spiritual Children. I will give you dry breasts, such as no Child shall hang upon; nor shall any thing stick by them which thou sayest; for this doth he deserve, who will needs usurp the good of God, and attribute that to himself, which is proper & only due, to his divine Majesty.  
I say not, but that what soever men shall preach, must be very well studied & considered; but yet this is not all; fo● it must alsoe be very well wept upon, & very well recommended to God; an● when you shall have made your hea● ache with studying, it, & ruminating upon it, you must say, Serui inutiles sumu● quod debuimus facere, secimus. We have b● done what we ought, and we are vnprofitab●● servants, what am I able to effect? I hau● made a little noise of words, like a piece which shoots powder without a bulett, but if the hart be wounded, it i● thou, O Lord, who must do it. Cor reg● in manu Domini, quocunque voluerit inclin● vit illud. The king's hart is in God's hand, & he inclines it to what soever he will. It is tho● o Lord who art to move and wound th● hart, Alas, what are we able to do t● them? What proportion can our word● and all our humane means carry, to a● end so high, and so supernatural, as it is to convert souls? No such matter. But how comes it then to pass, that we are so vain, & so very well pleased with ourselves, when we think some good is done, and that our business succeeds well; as if we were the men who had done the deed? Nunquid gloriabitur sicuris, contra eum qui secat in ea, aut exaltabitur serra contra eum à quo trahitur? Shall peradventure (saith the Prophet Esay to God) the hatchet or the saw, brag against him who uses it, and works with it, and say, I am he who have cut, and who have sawed that word? Quomodo si etenetur virga contra elevantem se, & exaltetur baculus, qui utique lignum est. This were, as if a Cudgel should look big and admire itself, because a man lifts it up, whereas the thing in itself is but wood, which can not once stir if men stir it not. Now we are just thus, in respect of any spiritual and supernatural end of the conversion of souls. We are like so many wands, who cannot once stir, if God stir us not. And therefore we must ascribe all to him, as having nothing to brag of, in ourselves.  
God doth so much esteem that we rely not upon our own strength, or humane diligence, & that we should take nothing to ourselves, but ascribe all to him, and give him the glory of all, that S. Paul saith, that for this reason, Christ our Lord, would not make choice, of eloquent and learned men, for the conversion of the world, by the preaching of the Gospel, but of poor fishermen, who were ignorant, & rude. Quae stult● sunt mundi, elegit Deus ut confundat sapientes, & infirma mundi elegit Deus, & ea qu● non sunt, ut ea quae sunt, destrueret. God mad● choice of ignorant, and gross people, to confound the wise of the world; he chose the poor● and weak, to confound the mighty and strong, he chose the mean and base, who seemed to be nothing in the eyes of flesh and blood, to subdue kings and Emperors, and all the Grandes of the earth. But know you why saith S. Paul?  non glorietur omnis caro in co●spectu eius, sed quem admodum scriptum est, qui gloriatur in Domino glorietur. To the end tha● man may not go bragging in the sight of God nor take occasion of ascribing any thing to himself; but give all the glory of all to God. If th● Preachers of the Gospel, were ver● rich and powerful, and went with great troops, and strong hand to preach God's word over the world, they might perhaps impute men's conversion to the fooce of their arms. If God had chosen the great learned men, & the most excellent Orators of the world, who by their learning & eloquence, might convince the Philosophers, a man might have attributed the conversion of man kind to curiosity of speech, and subtlety of arguments, in diminution of the Credit and reputation of the virtue & power of Christ our Lord. But it must not be after this manner, saith S. Paul, ut non evacuetur Crux Christi. God was not pleased, that this great business should be carried by eloquence of speech, or humane wisdom, lest the estimation of the power, and efficacy of the Cross, and passion of Christ our Lord, should suffer prejudice thereby. S. Augustine saith, Dominus noster Iesus Christus, volens superborum frangere ceruices, non quasivit per oratorem, piscatorem; sed per piscatorem, lucratus est Imperatorem. Our Lord jesus Christ, resolving to humble the necks of the proud, did not, by means of Orators, gain fishermen; but by means of fishermen gained both Orators and Emperors. Magnus Cyprianus Orator, sed prius Petrus piscator, per quem postea crederet, non solum Orator, said & Imperator. Cyprian was a great Orator, but S. Peter the fisherman was before him; by means of whom, was converted, not only the Orator but even the Emperor.  
The holy Scripture is full of examples, to show that God is wont to choose weak means & instruments, for the doing of mighty things; to teach us this truth, and to the end that it might remanie deeply fixed in our hearts, that we have nothing, whereof to glory, or to ascribe to ourselves; but absolutely all, to God. This are we also taught, by that illustrious victory of judith which she being a weak woman obtained against an army of above a hundred and forty thousand men. This are we alsoe taught, by that of the poor little Shepherd David, who being but a boy, and with no other weapon but his sling, bet down that Giant Goliath and triumphed over the Philistians.  sciat omnis terra quia est Deus in Israel, & noverit universa Ecclesia haec, quia non in gladio, nec in hasta saluat Dominus; ipsius enim est bellum. To the end that the whole world (saith he) may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all men may understand, that God hath no need either of sword, or lance, for the obtaining of victory (for battles in fine are his, and victory is his) and that men may, be sure of this, he gives it, when he will, without arms.  
This was alsoe the mystery of Gedeon, who had drawn twoe and thirty thousand men together against the Madianits, who were more than a hundred and thirty thousand men and God said thus to him. Multus tecum est populus, nec tradetur Madian in manus eius. Gedeon thou hast great store of people with thee, but Madian shall not be delivered up into thy hands. Consider what a strange discourse of God this is. Thou shalt not overcome, because thou hast much people with thee. If he had said thou caused not overcome them, because they are so many, and thou hast so few; it seems that the discourse had been rational. But you are deceived, and understand not the business. This had been a good reason for men to allege, but that other was proper to God alone. You cannot overcome, saith God, because you are many. But why so? Ne glorietur contra me Israel, & dicat meis utribus liberatus sum. To the end that Israel may not glorify itself against me, and so steal the victory from me, and become vain and proud as conceiving that it was conquered by the strength thereof. God carried the matter so, as that there only remained three hundred men with Gedeon, and commanded that he should then present battle to the enemy; and with them he gave Gedeon the victory. Yea and they had not so much as need to put themselves in arms, or to take their swords into their hands; but with the only sound of the trumpets which they carried in one of their hands, and with the noise of breaking certain pots, and with the brightness of the flaming torches which they carried in the other, God struck the enemy with such a terror, and amazement, that they over whelmed and killed one another, and the rest put themselves to flight, as thinking that the whole world was coming upon them. Then, the others could not say, that they had overcome by their own strength; and this was that which God desired. Namely that they might be forced to acknowledge.  
If then, even in temporal & humanie things, wherein our own diligences and means, carry some kind of proportion towards the end, as our arms and forces do, towards the obtaining of victory; God will not yet permit, that we attribute any thing to ourselves, but that we must ascribe the victory of a battle, and indeed the good success of all affairs to him; If even in natural things, neither he who plants, nor he who waters is any thing; and it is not the gardener who can make any plant grow, nor make any tree give fruit, but only God, what shall we say of spiritual and supernatural things, of the Conversion of souls, of a man's own profit and increase in virtue, wherein our means, endeavours & diligences, remain so short, and so fare behind, as that they carry no proportion at all, with so high an end? The Apostle S. Paul saith itaque, neque qui plantat aliquid, neque quirigat, sed qui incrementum dat Deus. God only is he who can give increase, and spiritual fruit. God only is he, who can strike the hearts of men with amazement, and mighty fear. God only is he, who can make men abhor sin, and forsake wickedness of life. And as for us, we can only make a little noise with the trumpet of the Gospel, and if we shall break these earthen pots of our bodies with mortification, and if men may be able to see the light of a very exemplar life shine in us, we shall indeed have done our parts, but yet still it is only God, who must give us the victory.  
Let us gather, and draw two things from hence, that so we may exercise our functions with much comfort, and with the profit both of ourselves, and our neighbours. The first, is that, whereof we have already spoken, to distrust ourselves, to place all our confidence in God, and to attribute the whole fruit, & good success of all things to him. S. Chrisostome saith. Nolimus igitur extol, sed & nos dicamus inutiles, ut utiles efficiamur. Let us nos wax proud, but let us confess ourselves to be unprofitable that so we may grow to be profitable and useful. And S. Ambrose saith, If you will produce much fruit amongst your neighbours, observe the rule which we are taught by the Apostle S Peter. Si quis loquitur, quasi sermones Dei, si quis ministrat tanquam ex virtute quam administrat Deus ut in omnibus honorificetur Deus, per jesum Christum, cui est gloria, & mperium, in secula seculorum, Amen. He who speaks, let him make account, that God put those words into his mouth, he who works, let him make account that it is God who w rks by him, and let him give the honour and glory of it all to him. Let us not ascribe any thing to ourselves nor run away with strange conceit, nor take any vain contentment in the act.  
The second thing which we are to fetch from hence, is that we be not difaminated or dejected, when we consider our own wretchedness, and misery. Of this we have alsoe great need. For who, observing himself to be called to so high an institute, and to so supernatural an end, as it is to convert souls; to draw them out of sin, out of heresies, out of infidelity; who I say considering this, will not faint under the thought, and say jesus how a great disproportion is this? Such an employment, fits not well with me, who am the most needy and miserable creature of all others? But yet in this, you are deceived, for even for this very reason, this enterprise is fit for you. Moses could not believe, that he was ever to perform so great a work, as to draw the people of Israel out of the Captivity of Egypt, and he excused himself thus to God who was desirous to send him. Quis sum ego, ut vadam ad Pharaonem, & educam filios Israel de Aegipto? What am I, that I should go treat with the king and procure him to let the people of Israel depart out of Egypt? Obsecio Domine, mittequem inissurus es. Send him o Lord, whom you are to send; for as for me I am a stammerer, and unfit for the employment. This is tha● (saith God) which serves my turn. Ego ero in ore tuo; docebo te quid loquaris. It is not thou who shalt do it. I will be with thee, & I will teach thee what thou art to say. The same happened alsoe to the Prophet jeremy, whom God sent to preach to the world; but he began to excuse himself thus. A. A. A. Domine Deus, ecce nescio loqui, quia puer ego sum. A. A. A. Do you not see O Lord that I can hardly pronounce my words but am a very Child; & how then w●ll you have me undertake so great an enterprise as this? Even for this very reason, he will use thee; and thou art just the man he seeks. And perhaps if thou wert endued with many parts, God would not have chosen thee to this end; but now thou shalt have no colour, to steal the praise, and attribute any thing to thyself; & by such weak instruments, is he desirous to do great things.  
The holy Evangelists recount, that the Apostles coming from preaching; & Christ our Lord observing the fruit which they had gathered, and the wonderful things which they had wrought, did highly rejoice in the holy Ghost, and gave great thanks and glorified his eternal father. In illa hora exaltavit Spiritu sancto, & dixit, Confiteor tibi Pater, Domine caeli & terrae, quod abscondisti haec a sapientibus, & prudentibus, & revelasti ea paruulis; ita pater, quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te. I give thee thanks, o eternal father, lord of heaven and earth for that thou hast hidden these things, from the wise and prudent of the world, and hast revealed, and communicated them to thy little ones; and by their means dost work so great wonders. Blessed, and praised be thou O Lord, for ever because thou hast been pleased to do thus. O happy little ones, happy humble souls, for these are they whom God exalts, and by whom he works wonders, & whom he takes for his instruments, in doenig great things, in working great conversions, and gathering great fruit of souls. Therefore let no man be discouraged or dismayed. Nolite timere pusillis grex, quia complacuit patri vestro, dare verbis regnum. Be not afraid little flock, be not di●aminated, or put out of hart, O thou little Society of jesus, because thou seest thyself very little, and the least of all others; for it hath been pleasing to your heavenly father, to give you power over the hearts and souls of men. I will be with you (said Christ our Savyour) to our father Ignatius, when he appeared to him, as he was grenig to Room. Ego vobis Romae propitius ero. I will assist you, I will be with you. And by occasion of this miracle, and admirable apparition, the Title and name of Society of jesus, was given to, our Order. To the end we may understand, that we are not called to the Society and Order of Ignatius but to the Society of jesus; & that we may hold for certain, that jesus will ever be in our succour, as himself promised to our father, and that we shall ever have him for our conductor and Captain, and therefore let us not grow weary, or be discouraged in this so great affair of helping souls, to which God hath called us.   

Of the first degree of humility, which is for a man to think meanly of himself. CHAPTER V.  
SAint Laurentius justinianus saith, that no man knows well, what Humility is, but he who hath received the gift of being humble, from God. It is really a very hard thing to be known. A man, saith this Saint, deceives himself in nothing more, then in thinking that he knows what true Humility is. Do you think it consists in saynig, I am a miserable sinful creature, I am proud? etc. If it consisted in this, the thing were easy enough, and we should all be humble, for we all go saynig of ourselves, that we are this, and w●e are that; and I pray God that we may all speak as we think, and that we may not say it with the mouth alone, and by way of compliment. Do you think that Humility consists, in wearing poor and mean , or in employing ourselves about abject and contemptible things? It consists not in this, for herein may be much pride, and a man may desire to be much esteemed, and valued even for this, and to hold himself to be better, and more humble than others, which is the heigtht of pride. True it is, that these exterior things do help towards true Humility if they be used as they ought, (whereof I shall say more afterward) but yet in fine, Humility doth not consist in this S. Jerome saith, Multi humilitatis umbram, veritatem pauci sectantur. Many follow the appearance, and shadow of Humility, An easy thing it is, to carry the head bowed down, the eyes low, the speech submiss and soft, to sigh often, and at every word to be calling themselves miserable, & sinful creatures; but yet, if you touch these very men with any little word, though it be but very lightly, you shall instantly be able to see how far they are from true Humility. Auferantur omnia figmenta verborum, cessent simulati gestus, verum humilem patientia ostendit. Let all feigned words be laid a side; away with hypocrisies, and exterior shows, for the true humble man (saith S. Jerome) is showed by his sufferance, and Patience; This is that touchstone, whereby true Humility is discerned.  
S. Bernard descends more particularly to declare, wherein this virtue consists, and gives us this definition thereof. Humilitas est virtus, qua homo, verissoma sui agnitione, sibi ipsi vilescit. Humility is a virtue, whereby a man, most truly discerning and observing his own defects, and miseries, holds himself in small account. Humility consists not in exterior things, or words, but in the very root of the hart, in a man's thinking most basely of himself, & both in holding himself, and in desiring to be held by others, in very mean account; & so, as that this must rise, out of a most profound knowledge of himself.  
To declare, and as it were anatomise this truth, the Saints set down many degrees of Humility. The B. S. Bennet, whom S. Thomas, and other Saints follow, assign twelve degrees of this virtue. S. Anselme speaks of seven; S. Bonaventure reduces them to three; and we will now follow this last, both for brevity's sake, and to the end that restraining this doctrine to fewer points, we may the more easily keep them before our eyes, and so procure to put them in execution. The first degree therefore of Humility (saith S. Bonaventure) is, that a man think meanly of himself, and have himself in small, account, and the necessary and only means to this, is the knowledge of a man's self. These two things be they, which the definition of Humility assigned by S. Bernard comprehends, and so it only reaches to the first degree. Namely that Humility, is a virtue, whereby a man holds himself in mean account.  
This is then the first, and this saith S. Bernard is wrought in man, by his having a true knowledge of himself, and of his miseries and defects. For this cause, some are wont to put the knowledge of a man's self, for the first degree of Humility, and they do it with great reason. But yet, for as much as we reduce all the degrees to three, with S. Bonaventure, we put for the first degree, the holding of a man's self in small account, & we put the knowledge of a man's self, for the necessary means, whereby to attain this degree of Humility, but yet in substance, all is one. We all agree in this, that the knowledge of a man's self, is the beginning, and foundation whereby Humility, is to be obtained, & the thinking of ourselves as we deserve. For how can we think of a man as he deserves, if we know him not. This cannot be. It is therefore necessary, first that we know what any man is, and then we may esteem or honour him more or less, according to what we know of him. So that still you must first know what you are, and afterward according to what you are, you may esteem yourselves; & you shall have good leave to do so, for if you esteem yourselves for what you are, you will be very humble; for you will esteem yourselves very little; but if you esteem yourselves more than you deserve, that will be pride. S. Isidore saith Superbus dictus est, quia super vult videre quam est. Therefore is a man called proud, because he holds himself, and desires to be held by others, for more than he is. And this is one of the reasons, which some assign, why God love's Humility so much, because he is a great lover of truth, & Humility is truth; and pride, is a deceit and a lie, for you are not that which you think of yourselves, and which you desire that others should think you to be. If therefore you resolve to walk in truth, and in Humility, esteem yourselves for what you are. Me thinks I ask no great matter of you, in desiring that you will esteem your selves for what you are, and not for what you are not. For it is a very unreasonable thing for any man to esteem himself for more than he is. And it would not only be a great deceit, but a great danger with all, for any man to be deceived in himself, esteeming himself for other, then indeed he is.   

Of the knowledge of a man's self, which is the root, and the necessary and only means, for the obtaining of Humility. CHAPTER VI.  
LEt us begin to sound, and dig deep into ourselves, and into the knowledge of our weakness and misery, that so we may discover this most rich treasure. Dragma perijs (saith S. Jerome) & tamen invenitur in stercore. In the very dung of your baseness, and of your infirmities, & sins, you shall find that precious pearl of Humility. Let us begin with our corporal being, & let that, be the first pressing of the spade, as S. Bernard saith. Ista tria semper in ment habeas, quid fuisti, quid es, quid eris. Set these things ever before thine eyes, what thou wert, what thou art and what thou art to be. Quid fuisti, quid sperna foetidum? quid es, quia vas stercorun? quid eris, quia esca veruium? Have ever before thine eyes, what then wast before thou wert engendered which was, a certain thing so stinking, and so filthy, as that we may not give it the true name. What art thou now? Thou art a vessel full of dung. What art thou to be shortly, but the food of worms? We have here, matter enough to meditate upon, and to dig into. Pope Innocentius saith very well. O vitis conditionis humanae indignitas; O indigna vilitatis humanae conditio. Herbas & arbores investiga; illae de se producunt flores, & f●ondes, & fructus; & tu de te, lendes, & pediculos, & lumbricos. O base and vile condition of humane nature. Look upon the trees, and plants, and thou shalt find that they produce beautiful leaves and flowers, and fruits, but man produces out of himself nitts, lice, and worms. Illae de se effundunt olium, vinum, & balsamum; & in de te, sputum, urniam & stercus. Illae de se spirant suavitatis odorem, & tu de te, reddis abominationem faetoris. The plants and trees yield out of themselves, oil, Balsamum, and wine, and odours alsoe of much sweetness; and man utters a thousand uncleanesses, of so abominable savour, as makes one's stomach turn to think of it, and much more to name it. But in fine, Quali arbor talis fructus, non enim potest arbor mala, bonos fructus facere. Such as the tree is such is the fruit like to be; for an ill tree can bear no good fruit.  
Verily, the Saints do with much reason, and with great propriety, compare the body of man, to a dunghill, over cast with snow; which on the out side appears beautiful and fair, but with in, is full of ugliness and uncleanness. The Blessed S. Bernard said, si diligenter consideres, quid per os, & nares, caeterosque corporis meatus egrediatur, vilius sterquilinium, nunquam vidisti. If you put yourselves to consider what you went by your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your nostrils, and the other sinks of the body, there is not in the whole world, any other so filthy dunghill, nor which utters such abomination as this. O how well said the holy job? What is man but rottenness itself, and a very fountain of worms Putredini dixi, pater meus es matter inea, & si ror mea vermibus. I have said to rottenness thou art my father, and to the worms I hau● said, you are my mother, and my bretherin● Such a thing as this is man, a very running stream of rottenness, & a wid● sack, full of worms. Well then, of wha● shall we now be proud? Quid superb● terra & cinis? Of what will dust and ashe● take occasion to brag? At least from hence we shall be able to discover, no colour for being proud; but enough, for being humble, and to despise ourselves. And therefore S. Gregory saith, Custos humilitatis est recordatio propriae faedi atis. It will help us to conserve Humility, it we renember our own deformity. It will be kept, very safe under these ashes.  
Let us pass yet a little further on, & dig yet deeper, & press the spade yet lower into the ground. Consider what you were, before God created you, and you shall find that you were just nothing, and that you could never have been delivered out of that dark Abyss of being nothing, if God, through his great mercy, and goodness, had not taken you out from thence, and placed you amongst his creatures, giving you that real, and true being which you now enjoy. So that, for as much as is on our parts, we are nothing, and for our parts we are to hold ourselves but equal to those things which are not, and we must ascribe to God, that wauntage which now we have above them. This is that which S. Paul saith. Si quis existimat se aliquid esse, cum nihil sit, ipse se seducit. If any man think, that he is any thing, he is deceived; for of himself he is nothing. We have here discovered a great deep mine, whereby to enrich, ourselves with Humility.  
Yea and there is yet more in this; For even now after we are created, and have received our being, it is not we, who hold it, and who can contain it in ourselves. It is not, as when the architect, hath built a house, which sustains itself when he hath left it, without needing him any more, who made it. It is not so in our case; but now after we are created, we have still as great need o● God, in every moment of our lives, to the end that we may not lose the being which we have already, as we had whilst we were nothing, that we might grow to be. He is ever sustaining o● holding us up,  his hand of power that so we may not again fall down into that profound pit of being nothing; out of which he took us before▪ And so saith David Tu formasti me, & posuisti super me manum tuam. Thou o Lord did frame me, and thou didst place thy hand vpo● me; and this hand of thine o Lord, holds me sti●● fast on foot, and conserves me, that so I ma● not again return to my former nothing. W● are ever so depending, and so hanging upon this hand fast  God, that if once this should fail us, and that he should take of that hand, but for any one moment of our lives, in the same very moment we were dispatched and we should lose our being & so return to our nothing, as when the sun is once hidden the earth is dark.  
For this reason saith the holy Scripture, Omnes gentes quasi non sint sic sunt coram eo, & quasi nihilum, & inane reputati sunt ei. All Nations in the sight of God, are as if they were not, and as nothing; and they are mere emptiness itself before him. This is that which we all are saying every minute, namely that we are nothing, but yet I doubt that we say it only with our mouths, for I know not whether we understand what we say. O that we understood and felt it, as the Prophet understood, and felt it, when he said thus to, God; Et substantia mea, tanquam nihilum ante te. I, O Lord, am as nothing, in thy sight. Really, for my part, I am nothing, for I had no being, and the being which now I have, was not had by me of myself; but thou O lord didst give it me; and to thee must I ascribe it all; & I have nothing whereof to brag or glory in myself, for I had nothing at all to do therein. And thou O lord, art ever conserving me in being, and holding me still fast on foot, and thou art still giving me strength, wherewith to work All being, all strength, all power to work comes to us from thy hand; for, on our part, we can do nothing, and we are worth nothing, and in fine, are nothing. So that now of what shall we be able to wax proud? Will it be perhaps, of the nothing which we see, we have? We said a while a go; of what dost thou grow proud, thou who art but dust, and ashes? but now we may say, of what dost thou grow proud, O thou who art nothing, which, is less than dust and ashes? What occasion, or even colour, can a thing of nothing take, for looking big, and growing proud, and holding itself in some account? Infallibly none at all.   

Of a most principal means, for a man's knowing himself, and obtaining humility, which is the consideration of his Sins. CHAPTER VII.  
LEt us yet go farther on, and dig and sound deeper, into the knowledge of ourselves. Let us use the spade once again. But what; Is there anything yet deeper? doth anything lie lower than Nothing? yes; there doth, and much lower. What? the sin which you have added to it. O what a deep pit is this? It is much deeper than Nothing; for sinning is much worse than not being, and it were better for a man not to be, then to have sinned; and so said Christ our lord of judas, who meant to sell him. Bonum erat ei, si natus non fuisset homo ille. It had been better for him, that he had not been borne. There is not a place so low, so distant, and so despised in the eyes of God, amongst all those things which either are or are not; as thath man whoe is in mortal sin; disinherited of heaven, the enemy of God, and sentenced, for all eternity, to hell fire. And though now, through the goodness of our lord, your consciences are not charged with any mortal sin; yet, as for the knowledge of our nothing, vee called to mind that time, wherein we had no being; so for the knowing of our baseness and misery, we are now to call that time to mind, wehen we were in sin. Consider, in how wretched estate you were, when, in the sight of God, you were ungracious, ugly, his enemies, the Children of wrath obnoxious to eternal torments, and then despise yourselves throughly, and abase yourselves into the lowest, and profoundest place that possibly you can for you may safely believe, that how much soever you humble and despise yourselves, you will never be able to arrive, to that abyss of contempt, which he deserves, who hath offended that infinite goodness, which is God. This business hath no bottom at all: it is a most profound and infinite abyss; for till we shall be able to see in heaven, how good God is, we shall never be able to know perfectly, how great an ill sin is, which is committed against God, and how great a punishment he deserves who commits it.  
O that we would continue in this ponderation and dig on, and still sound deeper into this mine of our sins, and miseries, how humble would we then be; in how small account would we hold ourselves; and how easily would we admit to be disesteemed and contemned by all. He who hath been a traitor to God, what contempt will he not endure for his love? He who gave God away for a fancy or toy, or for some pleasure of an instant: he who offended his Creator; add his lord, and deserved to remain for ever in Hell; what dishonours, what affronts, or injuries will not he be glad to receive, in satisfaction for those offences, which he hath committed against the Majesty of God; Prius quam humilia●er, ego deliqui, propterea eloquium tuum custodivi; said the Prophet David. Before that scourge came wherewith God humbled and afflicted me, I had given him cause to inflict it; I had already sinned, and therefore now I am silent, nor dare I complanie, for all is much less than my sins deserved. Thou hast not punished me O Lord, according to my offences, for what soever we are possibly able to suffer in this life, is merely nothing in comparison of that which any one of all our sins, hath deserved. Will you perhaps conceive, that he deserves not to be dishonoured, and despised, who hath dishonoured, and despised God? Do you not think it to be reason, that he be lightly esteemed, who set light by God? Will you not confess, that that will, which durst offend the Creator of the world, should, never from thence forward, do any one thing which it pretends, or desires, in punishment of so vast a presumption?  
And there is yet more in it, for though we may well hope, that through the mercy of God, he hath pardonned us our sins, yet, in fine we have no certainty thereof. Nescit homo utrum amore, an odio dignus sit. A man knows not, saith the wise man, whether he be beloved, or abhorred by God. And S. Paul said, Nihil mihi conscius sum, sed non in hoc, iustificatus sum. I feel not now, any remorse of conscience concerning any sin; but yet I know not, for all this, whether I be justified or Noah. And woe be to me, if I be not, for though I be a Religious man, and though I convert others, all that, will do me little good. Si linguis hominum loquar, & Angelorun, Charitatem autem non habeam, nihil sum▪ though I speak saith S. Paul, with the tongue of Angels, though I have the gift of Prophecy, and the knowledge of all sciences; though I give all my goods to the poor, nay though I should convert the whole world, yet if with all, I have not Charity, all this will do me no good. Woe be to you if you have not Charity, and the grace of God, for else you are nothing, yea & worse than nothing. It is a great means to make a man very humble, and ever to think meanly of himself, and to hold himself in low account, that he knows not whether he be in state of grace, or else of sin. I am sure enough that I have offended God; but I am not sure, whether I be forgiven or no. And who then, with this will, once presume to hold up his head: who will not be confounded and humbled, as low as the earth, and even below the earth? For this reason, saith S. Gregory, did God hide the knowledge of his grace from us:  unam gratiam certam habeamus scilicet humilitatem, that so we might the more certainly, have the grace of Humility. And though this uncertainty & fear wherein God hath left us, may seem to be painful, namely that we know not with any express certainty, whether we be in his favour or no: yet indeed even this proceeds from favour, and mercy in him, towards us; because this uncertainty is full of profit to us, for the obtaining of Humility, for the conserving it, and for the making us not despise any other, how many sins soever he may have committed. For that other may perhaps be already pardoned for whatsoever sins he may have committed, ad perhaps he may be more in God's favour; and for my part, I know not whether I be so or no.  
It serves alsoe for a spur towards good works, and to keep a man from being negligent; and to make him walk on with fear and Humility, in the sight of God; begging pardon and mercy of him, as we are advised to do by the wiseman, Beatus homo qui semper est pavidus. De propitiato peccato, noli esse sine metu. Blessed is that man, who always fears. And be not with out fear, even concerning those sins, for which you have done penance. This consideration of our sins, is a very efficatious means, to make us put little value upon ourselves, & to be ever humble, & to live, as it were, even under ground; for there is much to be gotten & digged up from thence.  
If besides we would stay, and consider the defects and wounds, which original sin hath caused in us, how copious would that matter be which we might find therein, for our humiliation? How is our nature perverted and corrupted by sin. For as a stone is inclined by the natural weight thereof, to fall downward; just so, by the corruption of original sin, we have a most active inclination to love honour, and profit, and satisfaction of our sense; and we are extremely awake towards all those temporal things, which concern us; but stark dead, towards those others, which are spiritual and divine. That, commands in us, which in all reason, were to obey; and that obeys, which should command. And to conclude, under the out side, and posture of men the appetites of beasts lie concealed, and we have hearts which grow grovelling towards the ground, Pranum est cor hominum, & inscrutabile, quis cognoscit illud? The hart of man is wicked, and inscrutable and who can arrive to the malice thereof? The deeper you dig into this wall, the greater abominations will you discover therein, as was showed in that figure to EZechiell.  
And if now we will apply ourselves, to consider our present defects, we shall find ourselves very full of them; for these grow ever out of our own store. How slippery are our tongues, and how ill guarded are our hearts? How inconstant are we in our good purposes, and how earnest for our own interest and gust? How desirous are we to fulfil our appetites? How full are we of self love? How strong in the abetting of our own judgement and will? How lively do we still find our passions? how entire our bad inclinations,? and how easily do we permit ourselves to be transported by them. S. Gregory saith very well, upon those words of job. Contra folium quod vento rapitur, ostendis potentiam tuam, that a man is, with much reason, compared to the leaf of a tree. For as a leaf is turned, and tossed with every wind, so is man by the wind both of his passions and temptations. Sometimes he is troubled with anger: sometimes he is dissolved with vain mirth; some times he is transported by the appetite of avarice some times of ambition and some times of lust, some times he is hoist up by pride, and some times cast down by inordinate fear. And so said the Prophett Psay: Cetidimus quasi folium universi, & iniquitates nostrae quasi ventus abstulerunt no●. As the leaves of trees are shaken, and carried away by the wind, so are we assaultet and subdued by temptations. We have no hability, or strength in virtue, nor in executing our good purposes, but indeed we have enough, for which we may humble and confounded ourselves, and that, not only by the consideration of our miseries, and sins, but by the weighing alsoe of those works, which seem in our eyes to be very good. For if we will consider, and examine them well, we shall find occasion and matter enough, for which to humble ourselves, by reason of the fault and imperfections, which commonly we mingle with them; according to that of the same Prophet; Facti sumus ut immundus omnes nos, & quasi pannus menstruatae universae iustititiae nostrae. We are become as one unccleane, and all our justice is like some filthy and polluted rag. But of this we have spoken else where, and so there will be no need to enlarge ourselves now, herein.   

How we are to exercise ourselves in the knowledge of what we are, that so we may not be dejected or dismayed. CHAPTER VIII.  
Our misery is so great, & we have so much reason to humble ourselves, and we have so hourly experience thereof: that we seem to stand in more need of being animated and encouraged, to the end that we be not dejected and dismayed, considering ourselves to be so full of imperfections and faults, then to be exhorted to the consideration thereof. And this is so very true, that holy writers, & instructours of men in the way of Spirit, teach us, that we must dig and sound into the knowledge of our miseries and frailties, in such sort, as in we stop not there, for fear lest the soul should sink down by distrust into despair, in regard we see so great misery in ourselves, and so great inconstancy in our good purposes; but that we must then pass on, towards the knowledge of the goodness of God, and place our whole confidence in him: That so the sorrow for having sinned, may not, as S. Paul saith, be so great, as to cause dejection and despair. Ne sortè abundantiori tristitia absorbeatur qui eiusmodi est. But it is to be a well tempered sorrow, & mingled with the hope of pardon, casting our eyes upon the mercy of God, and not fixing them wholly, upon the only consideration of our sins, and the deformity and greiveousnesse thereof. And so they say, that we must not dwell upon the consideration of our own poverty and weakness, lest so we be dismayed, but only that we may thereby, find reason to distrust ourselves, observing that on our part, we have no leaninge-place on which to rest, and then instantly to look up to God, and trust in him. And thus we shall not only not remain discouraged, but we shall rather be animated and revived thereby, because that which serves to make us distrust, when we behold ourselves, Will serve to strengthen our hope when we look up to God: & the more we know our own weakness; and the more we be distrust full of ourselves, by looking up to God, and relying on him, and by placing all our confidence in him, we shall find ourselves the more strong and full of courage in all things.  
But the Saints do here advertise us, of appoint which imports very much, namely that as we must not dwell upon the knowledge of our infirmities and miseries, lest we fall upon distrust and despair, but pass on to the knowledge of the goodness, the mercy, & liberality of God, and place our whole confidence in him: so alsoe must we dwell as little here, but turn our eyes quickly in again upon ourselves, and upon our own miseries and frailties. For if we stick upon the knowledge of the goodness the mercy, and liberality of God, and forget what we are in ourselves, we shall run much hazard of presumption and pride, and we shall grow to be too secure of ourselves, and to be over bold, and not so doubtful, and careful, as were sit, which is a dangerous course, and hath been the foundation & root of of many fearful and great ruins, O how many men, who were very spiritual, and who seemed to be sublimed, as high as heaven in the exercise of prayer and contemplation, have cast themselves down headlong by this precipice? O how many, who really were Saints, and great Saints, have come by this means, to have most wretched falls? Because they forgot themselves; because they made themselves too sure, through the favours which they had received from God? They grew to be full of confidence, as if there had already been no more danger for them, and so they came miserably to destruction.  
We have books which are full of such accidents. S. Basill saith, that the cause of that miserable fall of king David, both into adultery, and Murder, Was the presumption which once he had when he was visited by the hand of God, with abondance of consolation; so far, as that he presumed to say, Ego dixi in abundantia mea, non movebor in aeternum. I shall never be altered from this state. Well, stay a while, God will a little take of his hand: those extraordinary favours, and ●egalos shall cease, and you shall see what will happen. Auertisti faciem tuam a me, & factus sum conturbatus. God leaves you in your poverty, and then you will be like your sell e; and you shall know to your cost, when you are once fallen, that which you would not know whilst you were visited and savoured by Almighty God. And S. Basill alsoe saith, that the cause o● the fall, & denial of the Apostle S. Peter, was the confiding and presuming vainly in himself. Etiam si oportuerit me mori tecum, non te negabo, & si omnes scandalizati fuerint in te, ego nunquam scandalizabor. Because he said with arrogancy and presumption, that thouhg all men should be scandalised, yet would not he be scandalised, but would rather dye with Christ; For this did God permit, that he should fall; that so he might be humbled, and know himself. We must never give way that our eyes may wander from ourselves, nor ever be secure in this life: but considering what we are, we must go ever on, with great care of ourselves, and with great doubt, and sear, lest the enemy, whom we carry still about us, put some trick upon us, and provide some snare, into which he may procure us to fall.  
So that as we must not stay upon the knowledge of our own misery & weakness, but pass instantly on to the knowledge of the goodness of God, so neither must we stay upon the knowledge of God, and his mercies & favours, but return with speed again, to cast our eyes down upon ourselves. This is that jacob's ladder, whereof one end is fastened to the earth, in our knowledge of ourselves, and the other reaches up to the very height of heaven. By this ladder must you ascend and descend, as the Angels ascended and descended, by that other. Rise up by the knowledge of the goodness of God, but stay not there, lest you grow into presumption but descend to the knowledge of yourselves: yet stay not also there, lest you fall into despair: but still return again to the knowledge of God, that so you may have confidence in him. In fine, the business consists, in that you be still ascending, and descending by this ladder.  
Thus did S. Katherine of Sienna use this exercise, to free herself from several temptations which the devil brought against her, as she herself relates in her Dialogues, when the devil would tempt her by way of confusion, desiring to make her believe that her whole life was nothing but error, and abuse, For than she would raise herself up, but yet still with humility, by the consideration of the mercies of God: and she would be saying to this effect, I confess o my Creator, that my whole life hath been led in darkness, but yet I will hide myself in the wounds of Christ jesus Crucified, and I will bathe myself in his blood: and so my wickedness shall be consumed, and I will rejoice in my Creator, and my lord. Lavabis me, & super nivem dealbabor. And so also, when the Devil would offer to put her up to pride by tentations of a contrary kind seekeing to make her think that she was perfect, and pleasing to God, and that there was no cause why she should any longer afflict her self, and lament her sins: then would she humble herself, and make the devil this answer. O wretched creature that I am S. john Baptist never committed sin, & was sanctified in his mother's womb, and yet notwithstanding all that was continually doing penance: And I have commited for many defects, and have never lamented them, no nor even considered them a● they deserved. With this the devil, not liking to endure so great humility or the one side, nor so great confidence on the other, said thus to her. Be thou accursed and he alsoe uhoe hath taught thee this, for I know not how to make entrance here, since if I abase thee by confusion, thou raisest thyself up as high as heaven, by the consideration of the mercy of God: and if I raise thee up towards presomption, thou abasest thyself by the consideration of thy sins as low as hell by way of humility: yea and thou persecutest me, even in hell itself.  
Now after this very manner, are we to use this exercise, and so shall we, on the one side, be full of circumspection and fear, and on the other, full of courage and joy. Fearful in regard of our selves, and joyful through our hope in God. These are those two lessons, which (as we are taught, by that other Saint) God gives daily to his elect, the one to make them see their defects, and the other to make them see the goodness of God, who takes them from us with so much love.   

Of the great benefit and profit, which grows by this exercise, of a man's knowing himself. CHAPTER IX.  
TO the end that we may yet be more animated to this exercise of the knowledge of ourselves, we will go on declaring some great benefits, and advantages which are contained therein. One of the chief thereof, hath been showed already, namely, that this is the foundation and root of Humility, and the necessary means both for the purchase, and preservation thereof. One of those ancient Fathers being asked how a man might do to obtain true Humility, made this answer: Si sua tantummodo & non alterius mala consideret. If he consider only his own sins, sounding and digging deep into the knowledge of himself, this man shall obtain true Humility. This alone were sufficient to make us attend much to this exercise since it imports us so very much, towards the obtaining of this virtue. But yet the Saints pass further on, and say, that the humble knowledge of ourselves, is a more certain way towards the knowledge of God, than the profound study of all sciences. And the reason which S. Bernard gives is, that this is the most high science of all others, and of the greatest benefit, For from hence, a man comes to the knowledge of God, which is given us to be understood, as S. Bonauentu●e saith, by that mystery of the holy Gospel, which Christ our saviour wrought, upon the person of that man who was borne blind. For by laying dust upon his eyes, he gave him both corporal sight, wherewith to see himself, and spiritual sight also, weherewith to know and adore God. Sic Dominus nos caecos natos, per nostri & Dei ignorantiam, illuminat lutum unde nati sumus, liniendo super oculos nostros, ut primum incipiamus nos ipsos cognoscere, deinde ipsum illuminatorem nostrum credendo proni adorare. He saith that to us, who are borne blind, through the ignorance both of God, and of ourselves, god giveth, sight by laying dirt upon our eyes whereof we were made, to the end that considering our ●elues who are but as a little dirt, we may ●eceiue that sight, wehereby first we may see and know ourselves, and from thence may arrive to know God.  
And this very thing doth our holy mother the church intent tot teach us, by that holy ceremony which it uses in the beginning of Lent, when it lays dust or ashes over our eyes, and then saith this. Memento homo quia puluis es, & in puluerem reverteris. Remember o man that thou art dust and that to dust thou shalt return, That so knowing himself he may alsoe come to know God, and be troubled for having offended him, and do penance for his sins. So that a man's seeing and knowing himself, and considering his baseness, and his dirt, is a means to come to the knowledge of God. And the more any man knows his own baseness, he shall the more discern the greatness, and Majesty of God. For opposita iuxta se posita magis elucescunt. One contrary and one extreme put by the other will make that other appear the more. White laid upon black appears the more fresh and clear. And so since man is the most extreme baseness and God the most sublime altitude, they are two contrary extremes, and from hence it is that the more a man knows himself, in whom he finds that there is no goodness at all, but only Nothing and sin, the more he finds the goodness, and mercy, and liberality of God, who vouchsafes to love us, and as it were to converse, with so great a baseness as ours is.  
From hence grows the soul to be greatly kindled and inflamed towards the love of God, for it never gives over marvelling, and giving thankes to God, for that man, being so miserable and so wicked, God endures him upon the earth, and daily alsoe doth him many favours. For it happens often, that we cannot so much as endure ourselves, and that yet the goodness and mercy of God towards us is such, as that not only he endures us, but he is pleased to say of us, Deliciae meae esse cum filijs bo●inum. My delight is to be with the sons of men. What didst thou find O lord, in the sons of men that thou shouldst say my delights are to converse with them.  
For this did the Saints so much frequent the excercise of the know●egde of ●hem selves, that so they might acquire a greater knowledge of God, and a greater ●oue to his divine Majesty. This was that exercise and prayer, which S. Augustine used. Deus semper idem, noverim me, noverim 〈◊〉, O my God, which art ever the sane, and never changest; let me know myself, and let me know thee. And this other was the prayer, wherein the humble S. Francis spent the whole days and nights; who art thou O Lord, and who am I. By this way, came the Saints to a very high knowledge of God, and this is a very plain and certain way: and the more you dig down into the knowledge of yourselves, the higher shall you rise, and the more shall you grow in the knowledge of God, and of his infinite mercy and goodness. As alsoe on the other side, the higher you rise, and the more you grow in the knowledge of God, the lower you will descend, and the more you will profit in the knowledge of yourselves. For the light which comes to you from heaven, will show yo● such slutish corners in your souls, as wil● make you ashamed of that which, in th● eyes of the world, will seem very fayte and Good. S. Bonaventure saith, that a when the sun beams enter into any room every moat of the air will show itself; Simo & cor radiis gratiae illustratum, etiam minim videt. So the soul being illustrated by th● knowledge of God, and by the beams o● that true son of justice, the very least little things will instantly be seen; and so the soul comes to hold that for fautly, which he who enjoys not so great light, will esteem to be good.  
This is the reason why Saints are so humble, and hold themselves in so small account, and the greater Saints they are, they are the more humble, and the account wherein they hold themselves is so much the less. For still, as they have more light, and greater knowledge of God, they know themselves better, and see that of their own stock, they cannot brag, but only of Nothing, and of Sinne. And how much soever they know themselves, and how many faults soever they see in their own souls they still believe, that there are many more which they see not and conceive that the least part thereof, is that which they can come to know, & after this rate do they esteem themselves. For as they believe that God is more good than they are able to comprehend, so alsoe do they believe, that themselves are more wicked than they can understand. And ●s, how much soever we conceive or know of God, we cannot perfectly comprehend him, but still there will be more and much more to be conceived, and known; so how much soever we know ourselves, and how much soever we humble, and despise ourselves, We shall never be able to descend so low as to arrive to the profounditie of our misery And this is no exaggeration, but a clear truth. For since man hath nothing of his own store, but Nothing, and Sin, who will ever be able to humble and abase himself so much, as those two Titles deserve.  
We read of a Saint who desired light of God to know herself, and she discerned so much deformity, and misery in her condition, that she was not able to endure it and then she prayed thus to God. O lord not so much, for I shall faint under the burden. And father Auila, saith that he knew a certain person, who begged of God many times, that he would make him see and know himself. God opened his eyes a little, and it had like to have cost him dear. For he saw himself so ugly, and so abominable, that he uttered loud cries and said, O Lord I beseech thee even for thy mercy's sake, take this spectacle from before mine eyes, for I can look no longer upon this figure.  
From hence grows alsoe, that holy kind of hate and detestation of themselves, in the servants of God, whereof I spoke before. For how much more they know the immense goodness of God, and love him more, so much the more do they abhor themselves, as having been opposites and enemies of God, according to that of job. Quare posuisti me contrarium tibi & factus sum mihi metipsigravis. They see that in themselves, they have the root of all mischief which is the wicked and perverse inclination of our flesh; and upon this knowledge, they raise themselves up against themselves, and abhor themselves. Do you not think it reason to abhor him, who made you forsake and sell so great a good as God is, for a little contentment or gust? Do you not think it reason for you to hate him, who made you lose eternal glory, and deserve Hell for ever; him who wrought you so much hurt, and still persistts in doing it, Do you not think that you have cause to detest? Well now, this person is yourself, an opposite and enemy of God, an opposite and enemy of your own salvation.   

That the knowledge of ones self, doth not cause dismay, but rather gives courage and strength. CHAPTER X.  
THere is another great benefit, which grows from the exercise of knowing a man's self; that not only it causes no dismay, or base fear, as perhaps some might doubt, but rather a great hart and courage, towards all those things which are good. And the reason of this is, that when a man knows himself, he sees that here is no colour, why he should rely upon himself, but that distrusting himself, he must put all his confidence in God, in whom he finds himself strong, and able for all things. Hence it is, that these are the men who are apt to attempt, and undertake great things, and these are they, who go through with them. For in regard they ascribe all to God, and nothing to themselves, God takes the business in hand and makes it his, and holds it upon his owns account; and then he is wont to do mighty things, and even wonders, by the means of weak instruments.  ostenderet divitias gloriae suae in vasis misericordiae, quae preparavit in gloriam. To show the riches and treasures of his mercies. God will do wonderful things, by instruments who are miserable and weak. He uses to put the treasures of his mercy into the poorest vessels, for thus doth his glory shine most. This is that which God said to Saint Paul, when being even tired with temptations, he cried out and begged, that he might be delivered from them; and God made him this answer: Sufficit tibi gratia mea, nam virtus in infirmitate perficitur. My grace shall be sufficient for thee, how great soever thy temptations and miseries may be, and then doth the power of God prove itself to be more strong, and perfect, when the weakness and infirmity is more apparent. For as the Physician gains more honour when the sickness which he cures is more dangerous, so when there is more weaks in us, our delivery brings more glory to God's arm and power; and so doth Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose expound this place. So that when a man knows and distrusts himself, and puts all his confidence in God, then doth his Majesty come and help; and when on the other side a man puts confidence in himself, and in his own diligences and means, he is forsaken by Almighty God. This saith Saint Basile, is the cause why when we desire to make our Prayers best and to have most devotion in certain principal festivities, it falls out many times, that we have less; because we put our confidence in our own means, and in our own diligences, and preparations. And at other times, we are prevented with great benedictions, and sweetness, when; we look for them least, to the end that we may know, that this is an effect of the grace and mercy of our lord, and of no diligence or merit of ours. So that a man's knowing his misery and frailty; causes no cowardice or dismay, but rather gives courage and strength, in regard that it makes him distrust himself, and place all his confidence in God. And this is alsoe that which the Apostle saith. Cum infirmor tunc potens sum; and again, Cum humilior tunc exaltor. For thus do both Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose declare it. When I humble and a base my self and know that I am good for nothing, then am I exalted and raised up. Whilst I know and see my infirmity and misery fastening myself upon God, I find myself more strong and more full of courage, for he is all my confidence and strength. Et erat Dominus fiducia eius.  
Hereby you may understand, that it is not Humility nor any thing which springs from thence, when there come to us some times, certain dismays, and deiections, concerning our little progress in Spirit, and when we fear that we shall never obtain such or such a virtue, and never overcome such an ill condition or inclination; or that we shall not be fit for this or that office, and ministry, in which we are or may be employed, by Obedience, as when we question, whether we shall be fit to take Confessions, or to be sent to or fro in Missions or the like. This may seem to be Humility, but many times it is not so, but rather springs from pride. For such a one, cast, his eyes upon himself, as if by his own strength, and diligences, he were to go through with that business; whereas he ought to cast them upon God, in whom we are to be full of confidence and courage. Dominus illuminatio mea, & salu● mea quem timebo; Dominus protector vitae meae a quo trepidabo. Si consistant adversum me castra, non ti●ebit cor meum. Si exurgat adversum me praelium, in hoc ego sperabo; & si ambulavero in medio umbrae mortis non timebo mala, quoniam tu mecum es. If whole armies shall rise against me, my hart shall not be afraid. If they shall bid me battle yet will I hope in God. Though I walk in the midst of the very shandow of death, and arrive even at the very gates of hell, yet my hart shall not fear, because thou O Lord art with me. With what variety of words, doth the holy Prophett express the self same thing, and indeed we, have the Psalms full of this, to signify the abundance of pious affections, and of the confidence which he had, and which we ought to have in God. In Deo meo transgrediar murum. In my God, I vill pass over a wall, how high soever it may be. Nothing shall be able to put itself between me, and home. God can conquer giants, by grassehoppers. In my God, I will tread lions and dragons under my feet. By the grace and favour of our lord, we shall be strong. Qui docet manus meas ad praelium, & posuit ut arcum aereum brachia mea.   

Of other great benefits and advantages, which grow, by the exercise of a man's knowledge of himself. CHAPTER. XI.  
ONe of the principal means, which, for our parts, we are able to employ, to the end that our lord may show us favour, and communicate great graces and gifts to us is, that we humble ourselves, and know our own frailty and misery. And see said the Apostle S. Paul libenier igitur gloriabor in infirmitatibus meis, ut inhabitet in me virtus Christi. I will gladly glory in my infirmities, and weakness, that so the power of Christ may dwell in me. And Saint Ambrose upon those words, Placeo mihi in infirmitatibus. I am pleased in my infirmities, saith, Si gloriandum est Christiano, in humilitate gloriandum est, de qua crescitur apud Deum. If a Christian be to glory, it is to be in his own poverty, and misery; whereby he may increase and prosper, in the sight of God. Saint Augustine 〈◊〉 that of the Prophett, to this purpose. Plwiam voluntariam segregabit Deus, haereditati tuae, & infirmata est, tu vero perfecisti eam. When think you, that God will give the voluntary and sweet rain of his gifts, and graces to his inheritance, which is the soul of man? Et infirmata est. When the same soul shall understand her own infirmity, and misery, then will he perfect it, and the voluntary and sweet shower of his gifts and graces, shall fall down upon it. And as here amongst us, the more our poor beggars discover their wretchedness, and their sores, to rich and charitable men, the more they move them to pity, and the more alms they receive at their hands, so the more a man knows and humbles himself, and confesses his misery, the more doth he invite, and incline the mercy of God, to take pity, and compassion on him, and to communicate the gifts of his grace with the more abundance. Qui dat lasso virtuten, & his qui non sunt, fortitudinem, & robur multiplicat. For he gives strength to the weak, and to them who are, as if they were not, he multiplies courage and strength.  
To declare in few words, the great benefits and advantages of this exercise, I say that the true knowledge of a man's self, is the universal remedy of all inconveniences. And so in the questions which we use to ask in spiritual conferences, whence such or such a thing uses to grow, and what may be the remedy thereof, we may in effect answer in them all, that they proceed from want of a man's knowing himself, and that the remedy thereof would be, to know and humble himself as he ought. For if you ask whence it grows, that I judge of my brethren, I say from the want of knowing myself. For if I would go watching with in myself, I should find so much for me to see and so many miseries to bewail, that I would not mark the faults of others. If you ask from whence it comes, that some times I speak sharp, and unmortified words to my brethren; that alsoe grows from the want of knowing myself. For if I knew myself well, and held myself for the worst of the company, and looked upon every other man as if he were my superior, I should not be so bold, as to hold such language to them. If you ask from whence grow those excuses, and those complaints and those murmurings, as why they do not give me this or that, or why they treat me in such a fashion; it is clear that it rises from the same root. If you ask from whence it comes, that a man is so much troubled and dejected, when he finds himself molested, by variety of temptations; or grows melancholy, and is discouraged, when he falls often into any defect; this alsoe grows from want of a man's knowing himself. For if you were truly humble, and considered well the malice of your hearts, you would not be troubled or dismayed at this, but you would rather be in wonder, that you commit no worse things how you came not to have more dangerous faults; and you would be giving great thanks, and praise to God, for houldeing you so fast in his hand, that so you fall not into those things, into which infallibly you would have fallen, if he had not held you up, For, from a very source, and sink of vice, what sin is that which would not flow? From such a filthy dunghill what should we expect, but an odious and abominable stink, and from such a tree, such fruit. Wpon those words of the Prophet, Recordatus est quoniam puluis summus; He remembreth that we are but dust, S. Anselme saith, what wonder is it, if dust be blown away by wind. If alsoe you desire a means whereby you may come to show much Charity towards your brethren, and that you may be obedient, and patiented, and very penitent, you may here find the remedy of all.  
We read of our Father Franciscus de Borgia, that being once in journey, he was met by a great lord of these kingdoms, who was a friend of his, and when he observed him to be so full of poverty and incommodity, he was heartily sorry to see it, and besought him to be more careful of his person, and to cherish himself. The Father, with a cheerful countenance, and much quietness, said thus to him; I beseech your Lordship not to be troubled concerning me, and think not that I go so ill provided as you have conceived. For you shall wnderstand, that I always send a harbinger before me, who makes my lodging ready, and takes care that I be regaled to the full. That lord asked then, who that harbinger was, to which he answered thus. The knowledge of myself, and the consideration of what I deserve for my sins, which is no less than hell fire. And when with this knowledge, I arrive at my lodging, how unprovided and incomodious soever it may be, me thinks it is ever better than I deserve.  
In the Chronicles of the Order of the Dominicans it is recounted of B. Saint Margaret of the same Order, that a certain religious man, a great servant of God, and very spiritual person, speaking one day with her, told her, amongst other things, that he had often begged of God in his prayer, that he would show him the way, which those ancient fathers had held, whereby they pleased him so much, and had received so many favours from his hand; and that, one night, Whilst he was taking his rest, a book was laid open before him, whereof the letters were written in Gould, and instantly a voice awaked him which said thus; Rise up, and read. And then he rose, and read these few but heavenly words, This was the perfection of those ancient Fathers to love God, to despise themselves, not to contemn or judge any other: And then instantly the book vanished a way.   

How much it concerns us to be exercised, in the knowledge of ourselves. CHAPTER XII.  
IT will appear by what is said, how much it concerns us to be exercised in the knowledge of ourselves. Thales Milesius, one of the seven wise men of Greece, being asked which, of all natural things, was the hardest to be known, made this answer, A man's self. Because the love which a man bears himself, is so great, that it distracts, and hinders this knowledge; and from hence grew that saying, which was so much celebrated amongst the ancients, Nosce te ipsum, know thyself. And an other said, Tecum habita; Dwell with thyself. But let us leave these strangers and come home to others of our own communion, who are better Masters of this science. The B. Saint Augustine and Saint Bernard say, that the science of a man's knowing himself, is the most profitable and most high that ever was invented or found. Men, saith Saint Augustine, are wont to esteem much the knowledge of the heavens, and of the earth by Astrology, and cosmography, and to know the motions of the sky, and the course of the planets. With their proprieties, and influences; but yet the knowledge of a man's self, is the most high, and profitable science of them all. Other sciences blow a man and puff him up, as Saint Paul saith; but we are humbled and edified by this. And so the Saints, and all Masters of spirit, do greatly charge us, to employ ourselves in prayer, upon this exercise: and they reprove the error of some, who pass too lightly over the consideration of their own defects, and detain themselues in thinking upon other devout things, because they find gust in them; but none, in the consideration of their defects and faults; because they take no pleasure in looking into themselves; and in this they are like such as are deformed, who because they are so, dare not look upon themselves in a glass.  
The glorious Saint Bernard speaking to man, in the person of God, saith thus: O homo si te videres, tibi displiceres, & mihi placeres: sed quia te non vides, tibi places, & mihi displices. O man, if thou didst see, and know thyself, thou wouldst be displeasing to thyself, and thou wouldst be pleasing to me: but now because thou dost not see, and know thyself, thou art pleasing to thyself, and art displeasing to me. Veniet tempus cum nec mihi nec tibi placebis, mihi quia peccasti, tibi quia in aeternum ardebis. Take heed that there come not once a time when thou shall neither be pleasing to God, nor to thyself, not to God, because thou hast sinned, nor to thyself, because thou art damned by thyself, through thine own fault.  
Saint Gregory treating of this, saith, there are some who as soon as they begin to serve God, and to take virtue a little into their consideration, think presently, that they are holy and good; and do so place their eyes upon the good they do, that they forget their miseries and sins past, yea and sometimes their present sins too; for they are so very busy about gazing upon the good they do, that they attend not, nay and see not, the ill which sometimes they commit. But such as indeed are good, and the elect of God, proceed after a very different manner. For where as indeed they are full of virtue and good works they are yet ever looking ●pon the ill they do, and are considering and ruminating upon their imperfections & defects. And we shall quickly see what becomes of both these kinds of men. For they who are most considering their sins, secure their good deeds, and conserve the great virtues which they possess, remayneing ever in humility; and on the contrary side, those others, who are looking so earnestly upon their good deeds, lose them, because they grow vain and proud thereof. So that good men serve themselves of their very sins, and draw good & spiritual profit from thence; whereas ill men draw hurt and loss, even from their good deeds, because they make ill use thereof. As it happens in the case of corporal food, which, though in itself it be healthful & good, yet if a man ear of it without rule or measure, it will make him sick. And so on the other side, if the very poison of vipers be taken, wi●h a certain composition, & proportion, it will become a Treacle, and give him health. When therefore they shall bring the good things which you have done to your memory, to the end that you may esteem and value yourself. S. Gregory advices you, to oppose your ill deeds against them and to call your former sins to mind. So did S. Paul, to the end that his great virtues might not blow him up, as alsoe his having been rapt, into the third heaven, and made capable of those high revelations, which were imparted to him. Quia prius blasphemus fui, & persecutor, & contumeliosus. Alas saith he, I have been a blasphemer, and a persecutor of the servants of God, and of the name of Christ; alas I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I have persecuted the Church of God. Qui non sum dignus vocari Apostolus, quoniam persecutus sum ecclesiam Dei. This is a very good counterpoise, and a very good countermine, against this temptation.  
Upon those words, which the Archangel Gabriel spoke to the Prophet Daniel, Intellige fili hominis, O son of man observe, what I intent to say to the S. Hierome saith, that those holy prophets Daniel, Ezechiell, & Zacharias, through the high & continual revelations, which they had, seemed already, as it were, to converse amongst the Quires of Angels; and to the end that they might not exalt themselves above themselves, and grow idle headed, and proud, upon that occasion, as conceiving that they were grown to be of a kind of Superior & Angelical nature, the Angel let's them know on the part of God, that they must remember their humane nature and frailty; & he calls them sons of men, that so they might understand themselves to be frail men, and miserable creatures like the rest; and that so they might be humble, and esteem themselves but as they were. And we have many examples in histories both Ecclesiastical and profane, both of Saints and other illustrious persons, kings, Emperors and Prelates, who used this means; and ever kept some about them, who might bring them to remembrance from time to time, that they were but men; so to conserve them in Humility, and to keep them from growing vain and proud.  
It is recounted of our Father Franciscus Borgia, that whilst he was yet Duke of Gaudia, a holy man gave him this council, that if he had a mind to profit much in the service of God, no day might pass, wherein he would not think seriously of somewhat, which might put him to confusion, and mean opinion of himself. And he took this Counsel so much to hart, that from the time that he used the exercise of Mental Prayer, he employed every day, the two first hours there of, upon this knowledge, & contempt of himself. And besides, what soever he heard, and read, & saw, it all served him towards this abaseing & confusion. And besides he had another Devotion which helped him much, and it was, that every day as soon as he rose, he kissed the ground three times, to put him in mind, that he was dust and earth, and that into earth he must return. And it well appeers how much profit he drew from thence, by the great example of Humility and sanctity, which he left behind him. Let us therefore observe this Council, and practise it. Let no one day pass, wherein we spend not some time of prayer, and consider not somewhat which may tend to our confusion and contempt: and let us not grow weary, nor give over this exercise, till we find that our soul hath even drunk up, a profound & cordial desire to be disesteemed and despised: and till we may feel ourselves to be greatly ashamed, to appear with so much baseness and misery as ours is, before the high presence and Majesty of Almighty God.  
We have very much need of all this; for our pride and inclination to be honoured, and esteemed, is so very great, that if we walk not continually in this exercise, we shall find ourselves every hour to be lifted up above ourselves, as cork goes swyming upon the water, for no cork is so light and vain as we. We must ever be repressing and beating down that swelling and pride which heaves us up, and we must look towards the feet of our deformity and baseness, that so the wheel of our vanity and pride may be broken in pieces. Let us remember the Parable, of the Fig tree, which is mentioned in the holy Gospel and which the owner thereof had a mind to pluck up by the roots; because in three years, it had borne no fruit; but the gardener moved that it might be suffered to grow a year longer, and said that he would dig about it, and that if then, it gave not fruit it might afterwards be rooted up. Dig you, in like manner, about the dry and barren fig tree o● your souls, and let the dung and miseries of your sins be cast round about it since you have such store thereof, and so you shall be also fertile, and bear fruit.  
To the end that we may be the more animated to use this exercise, and that no man take occasion to give it over, through any vain apprehensions, We are to understand two things. The first, that no man must think that this exercise belongs only to beginners, because it alsoe concerns Proficients, and most Perfect men; since we see that they, and even S. Paul himself did use it. In the second place, it is fit for us to understand, that this exercise is no afflictive or melancholy kind of thing, nor causes trouble or disquiet, but rather brings with it great peace and rest, yea and great contentment and joy, for any man to consider & know himself, how many defects and faults soever he commit, & how perfectly soever he understand, that because he is so wicked he deserves that all men should despise and hate him. For when this knowledge of ourselves grows from ●rue Humility, that pain comes accompanied with such a kind of swavitie, and contentment, that a man would be sorry ●o be with out it. Other pains and troubles which some feel, when they consider their faults and imperfections, are temptations of the devil, who, on the one side, procures by this means, to make us think that we are truly humble; and, on the other, would be content to make us distrust the goodness of God, and to be disheartened, and dismayed in his service. Indeed if we were still to pause upon the knowledge of our own misery and weakness, we should have occasion enough to be afflicted and sad, yea and to be discouraged and dismayed; but we must not stay there, but pass on to the consideration of the goodness, and mercy, and liberality of God, and how much he love's us, and what he suffered for us, and in this are we to place all our hope. And so, that which would be an occasion of dismay and sorrow, by looking upon ourselves, serves to animate and encourage us, and is an occasion of greater comfort and joy when we lift up our eyes towards God. A man behoulds himself, and sees nothing bu● cause of grief, but looking up to God he confides in his goodness without fear● of being forsaken, notwithstanding th● many faults, and imperfections, and miseries, which he discerns in himself. For the goodness and mercy of God, upon which he hath placed his eyes and his hart, doth infinitely exceed and outstripp all that which can be ill in us. And with this consideration, being rooted in the very strings of the heart, a man untyes himself from himself, as from some broken reed, and ever goes resting upon God, and confiding in him according unto that of the Prophett Daniel. Neque enim in iustificationibus nostris prosternimus preces ante faciem tuam, sed in miserationibus tuis multis. Not confiding in ourselves, nor in any merits or good work of ours, do we presume to lift up our eyes to thee O Lord, and to beg favour at thy hands but by putting our confidence in thy great mercy.   

Of the second degree of Humility, and here it is declared, wherein this degree consists. CHAPTER XIII.  
THe second degree of Humility, saith S. Bonàuenture, is when a man desires, to be held by others in small account. Am● nesciri, & pro nihilo reputari; Desire to be unknown, and disesteemed, and that no body may have you in account. If we were well grounded in the first degree of Humility, we should already have made most of our way, towards the second. If really we esteemed ourselves little, it would not seem very hard to us, that others should alsoe esteem little of us; yea and we would be glad thereof. Will you see that this is true, saith S. Bonaventure? All men are naturally glad, when others conform themselves to our opinion, and think the same that we think. Well then, if this be so why are we not glad, when others have us in small account? Do you know why? Because, we esteem highly of ourselves; and we are not of their opinion. S. Bonaventure, upon these words of job, Peccavi & vere deliqui, & ut eram dignus non recepi, saith Many with their tongues speak ill of themselves, and say that they are this & that; but they believe not what they say, for when others say the same, yea and less than that, t●●y cannot endure it. And these men when they speak ill of themselves, say it not with truth, nor do they feel it so in their hearts, as job. did when he said: I have sinned, and really transgressed & offended God, and he hath not punished me, according to my great demeritt. job said this with truth of hart, but these men saith S. Gregory do humble themselves only in appearance, and with the tongue, Whereas in their hart they have no Humility. They will needs seem to be humble, whereas they have no mind to be so indeed: for if in earnest they desired it, they would not be offended so much, when they were reprehended and admonished of any fault by others, and they would not excuse themselves nor be troubled so much, is we see they are.  
Cassianus recounts, that a certain Monck came once to visit the Abbot Serapion, who in habit, gesture, and words, seemed to be of great Humility, and contempt of himself; and never made an end of speaking ill of himself, and of saying that he was so great a sinner, and so wicked a man, that he was not worthy to breathe in the common air, nor to ●read upon the earth, and much less would he consent that they should wash his feet. The Abbot Serapion, after he had dined, began to treat of some spiritual things, as he had been accustomed, and applied alsoe some little thing to his guest, and gave him this good advice with great mildness and love; Namely, that since he was young an strong, he should procure to remain in his Cell, and labour with his hands for his food, according to the rule of the Monks and not tot go idly up & down by the Cells of others. This Monk was so much troubled at this admonition and advice, that he could not possibly disemble it, but shown it evidently by his countenance. Then said the Abbot Serapion, what is this my son, that till now, you have been speaking so much ill of yourself, & so many things of dishonour and affront to you; and that now, upon an admonition, so easy as this which contains no injury or affront at all, but rather much love and Charity, you have been so much offended and altered, that you could not hide it. Did you hope perhaps, by means of that ill which you said of yourself: to hear that sentence of the wise man out of our mouth, justus prior est accusator sui. This man is just and humble, since he speaks ill of himself? Did you pretend that we should praise you, and hold you for a Saint. Ah, saith Saint Gregory, how many times is this! that very thing, to which we pretend by our hypocrisies, and counterfeit Humilities? but that which would fain seem Humility, is great pride. For we humble ourselves many times, to the end that we may be praised by men, and be held for humble and good. And if you will not grant me this; I must ask you why you say that of yourself, which you will not have others to believe? If you speak it from your hart, and if you walk in the way of truth, you must desire that others may believe it too, and may hold you for such as you said; and if you desire not this, you show plainly that you pretend not thereby to be humbled, but to be valued and esteemed. This is that, which the wiseman saith: Est qui requiter humiliat se, & interiora eius plena sunt dolo. There are some who humble themselves, after a counterfeit manner, and their hart is full of deceit and pride. For what greater deceit can there be, then by means of Humility, to be honoured and esteemed by men; and what greater pride, then to pretend to be held humble? Appelere de humilitate laudem humilitatis, non est virtus sed subversio. To pretend to the praise of humility, is not (saith Saint Bernard,) the virtue of humility, but the perversion and subversion thereof. For what greater perversion can there be then this? Quid pervertiùs, quid ve indigniùs, ut inde velis videri melior, unde videris deterior? What thing can be more unreasonable, then to desire to seem to be the better, for that, for which you seem worse? What thing is more unworthy and absurd, then to desire to seem good and to be held for such, even for the ill which you have said of yourself? Saint Ambrose reprehending this, saith thus. Multi habent humilitatis speciem, sed virtutem non habent; multi eam soris pretendunt, & intus imp●gnant. Many have the appearance of humility, but yet they have not the virtue of Humility, many seem exteriorly to seek it, but interiorly they contradict it.  
This pride, and inclination of ours, to be esteemed and valued, is so great, that we seek a thousand inventions, & ways, how to compass it. Sometimes we do it directly, & sometimes indirectly; but we are ever procuring to bring the water to this Mill. S. Gregory saith that it is the property of proud men, when they conceive themselves to have said, or done any thing well, to desire such as saw or heard it, to tell them the faults thereof,; their intention yet being, to be praised. They seem indeed, to humble themselves exteriorly, because they desire men to tell them their faults; but this is no Humility but pride for their design thereby is to be praised At other times, you shall have a man speak ill of some what, which he hath done, and declare that he is not pleased with it, that so he may come to know what the other thinks; and he would fain hear it excused, and that the other should say, no certainly it was very well said, or done; and you have no reason at all to be desquieted uviht your self, upon that occasion. This, I say, is that which he sought. A certain grave Father, who was a very spiritual man, was wont to call this, a pride, of by hook or by crook; because, by this devise, or engine, one man fetches praise out of the mouth of another. Aman makes an end of his Sermon, and is very well content, and satisfied with himself, and entreats another to tell him his faults: But to what end serve these hypocrisies, & fictions: for you believe not that there were any faults, nor pretend any other thing, but that he should praise your sermon, and that he should jump with your own opinion; and that, is indeed the thing, which you are glad to here; For if by accident, he tell you plainly of any fault, you are not pleased; but rather you will defend it, & sometimes it happens, that you will judge him who told you of it; as not having so good an understanding, and note in things of that nature, because he held that for a fault, which you conceive to have been well said. All this is pride, and desire of praise, which you pretend to satisfy, by this counterfeit Humility. At other times, when we are not able to conceal the fault, we confess it very clearly, to the end, that since we have lost a point of honour by making the fault, we may recover it again by confessing it after an humble manner. At other times, saith Saint Bonaventure, we exaggerate our own faults, and say more than is true, to the end that others seeing that it is neither possible, nor credible, to have been so much as was said, they may think that there was no fault committed at all; that so they may cast the accusation, upon the account of our Humility; So that by exaggerating, & declaring more than is true, we would conceal the fault which in truth is that which we intent. By a thousand devices and tricks do we procure to hide and disguise our pride under the Cloak of Humility.  
And thus, by the way, you shall see, as Saint Bernard saith, how precious a thing Humility, and how base and hateful, pride is. Gloriosa res humilitas, qua ipsa quoque superbia palliare se appetit, ne viles●at. See how sublime and glorious a thing humility is, since even pride desires to serve itself thereof, and to be cloaked therewith; and see alsoe how base and shameful a thing pride is, since it dares not so much as appear with the face discovered; but over shadowed and disguised, by the veil of humility. For you would be extremely ashamed, & hold yourself for greatly affronted, if the other should understand that you pretend and desire to be esteemed, and praised: & therefore it is, that you procure to cover your pride, with the appearance of H●●ilitie. But now, why will you indeed be that, which you are so ashamed to seem to be. If you would be so out of countenance, that others should know, you desire to be esteemed, and praised, why are you not much more ashamed, to desire it. For the defect and ill thereof, consists in the act itself of your desiring it, and not in their knowing that you desire it. And if you be ashamed that men should know it; why are you not ashamed, that it should be seen, & known, by Almighty God. Imperfectum meum viderunt oculi tui. Thine eyes O lord, see how imperfect I am.  
All this comes upon us, for not being well rooted in the first degree of Humility, which keeps us so far from the second. We must undertake this business from the first grounds thereof; for first it is necessary for us to understand our own misery, and our Nothing, and from this kind of profound knowledge of ourselves, is to grow a base conceit in us, and a despising and contemning of what we are, which is the first degree of Humility; & from thence we must get up to the second. So that it suffices not that you speak ill of yourself, yea even though you speak it sincerely, and from your hart, but you must procure to arrive so fare as that you may be glad, that others think that of you, which you t●inke, and say of yourself; and that they disesteem and despise you. Saint john Climatus saith He is no humble man, who is content to abase and speak ill of himself, (for what man is he, who cannot be content to bear with himself) but that man is humble, who can easily be glad to be ill treated, and despised by others. It is well, that a man should ever be speaking ill of himself, and confessing that he is proud, and slothful, and impatient and careless, and the like, but it were better that he kept his patience, till he were told as much by others. If you desire that others may think so of you, and hold you in no other estimation and account then this, and that you are truly glad thereof when the occasion is offered, this indeed is true Humility.   

Of some degrees and steps whereby a man may rise to the perfection of this second degree of Humility. CHAPTER XIV.  
IN regard that this second degree of Humility is the most practical, and difficult part of the exercise of this virtue, we will divide it, as some of the Saints have done: and we will set forth four degrees or steps thereof; that so by little and little, and as it were by measured paces, we may go rising up to that perfection of Humility, which this second degree exacts. The first step is, not to desire to be honoured, or esteemed by men, but rather to fly from all that, which hath any touch of honour and estimation. Our books are full of the examples of Saints, who were so very far from desiring to be esteemed or honoured by the world, as that they fled from honours, and dignities, and from all those occasions which might bring estimation with them in the sight of men, as from the most capital enemy which they could have. Christ, our Redeemer, and our Master, gave us the first example of this, when he fled upon his notice, that they meant to choose him for their king; after that illustrious miracle of having fed five thousand men, with five loaves, and two fishes; when yet himself, ran no hazard in any state of life, how high soever it might be, but only to give us example. And for the self same reason, when he was pleased to manifest the glory of his most sacred body, to his three disciples, in his admirable Transfiguration, he commanded them not to speak of it, to any, till after his death, and glorious Resurrection. And giving sight to those blind men, and working of other miracles, he commanded them to be silent. And all this was done to give us an example of flying from honour, and the estimation of men, in regard of our great danger to grow vain, and so to perish thereby.  
In the Chronicles of the Order of Blessed Saint Francis, it is recounted, that brother Giles hearing the relation of the fall of brother Elias, who had been their General, and a great learned man, and who was then an Apostata, and excommunicated for applying himself to the Emperor Fredrick the second, who had revolted from the Church, brother Giles hearing this, cast himself down to the ground, and embraced it as straight as he could, and being asked why he did so, he made this answer. I will get as fare down as I can, for that other fell down, because he would needs rise up so high. Gerson brings that to this purpose, which the Poets fain of the Giant Antheus son of the Earth: Who fight with Hercules, recovered new strength, every time that he was cast down to the ground, and so he could not be overcome; but Hercules observing this, lifted him up on high, and so cut off his head. This saith Gerson, doth the devil pretend to do with us. He seeks to hoist us up with honour, estimation and praise, that so he may cut our throats, and then cast us down more low, than we rose high. And therefore the true humble man, casts himself down to the earth, of the knowledge of himself, and sears, and flies from being puffed up, and praised.  
The second degree, as Saint Anselmus saith, is this,  p●tiatur contemptibiliter se tractari. To suffer with patience and that when soever any occasion is offered, whereby you may seem to be disparaged, or despised, you bear it well. We do not say; in this place, that you should desire injuries and affronts, and that you should go in search thereof, and rejoice therein, when you find them. That point is more high, and perfect, and hereafter we shall treat thereof; but that which now we say, is, that when any t●i●g shall present it sel●e, which may seem to point at your disadvantage, you bear it at least with patience, if you cannot do it with joy. According to that of the wise man, Omne quod tibi applicatum fuerit, accipe, & in dolore sustine, & in humilitate tua patientiam habe. All that which offers itself, contrary to your sensuality and gust, receive it in good part though it trouble you and suffer it with Humility and patience. This is a great means, both for the obtaining of Humility, and preserving it. For, as honour and the estimation of men, is a means to make us proud and vain, and therefore did the Saints fly so far from it, so all that which tends to our disestimation and contempt, is a very great means, both for the getting of Humility, and glowing in it. Saint Laurentius justinianus, was wont to say, that Humility is like a stream or brook, which in winter carries much water, and little in Summer, and so Humility grows less and less in prosperity, and greater in adversity.  
Many are the occasions, and they are offered us daily, for the exercise of Humility, if we would use attention and care in profiting thereby. That Saint saith thus very well, That which pleases others shall be effected, that which contents thee shall not be done: that which others say shall be esteemed, that which thou saith, shall stand for nothing. Others shall ask and receive, thou shalt beg and shalt not obtain, others shallbe great in the mouths of men; and shall make no account of thee: and affairs shallbe communicated to others, and thou shalt be held unfit for them. Let every man take account of himself, and go discoursing of those particular occasions, which may, or use to offer themselves, and observe how he proceeded therein. Observe how you like it, when another commands you resolutely, and after an imperious manner. Observe how you take it, when they admonish you or reprove you for any fault. Observe what you think, when you conceive that your Superior deals not confidently, but looks upon you with a kind of wary or jealous eye. Saint Dorotheus advices, that when soever any of these occasions is offered us, to receive it as a remedy, and medicine wherewith to cure and heal our pride; and to pray God for him who ministers the occasion, as for the Physician of our souls, and to be fully persuaded that who soever abhors these things, abhors Humility.  
The third step which we are to mount, is, that we rejoice not, and take no contentment when men do esteem and praise us. This is more hard than the last step, as Saint, Augustine saith. Etsi cuiquam facile est laude carere dum denegatur, difficile est, ea non delectari cùm offertur. Though it be an easy thing to want praise when it is not given; yet for a man not to be glad to be esteemed, and praised, and not to take contentment therein, when it is offered, is very hard. Saint Gregory handles this point very well, upon those words of job. Si vidi Solem cum fulgeret, & Lunam incedentem claerè, & latatum est, in abscondito cor meum. If I saw the Sun when it shined, and when the Moon went brightly on, and if my hart rejoiced in secret. Saint Gregory saith, that job spoke thus, because he did not joy or take vain contentment in the praises, and estimation of men. For this is to behold the sun when it shines, and the Moon when it is bright, for a man to consider the praise, opinion, and fame, which he hath amongst men, and takes delight and gust therein. He saith therefore, that there is this difference between the humble and the proud, that the proud rejoice when they are praised, though it be not true, which is said of them, and they rejoice because they keep no account at all concerning that which indeed they are in themselves, and in the sight of God, but they only pretend to be valued and esteemed ●y men: and so they joy, and even look big w●th it, as men who have attained the end to which they aspired. But now the true humble man of hart, when he finds that they esteem and praise, and speak well of him, then shrinks he up, and is the more confounded in himself, according to that of the Prophet. Exaltatus autem, humiliatus sum, & conturbatus. When they exalted me, than did I humble myself the more, and walked on with the more confusion, and fear. And that with reason. Tanta enim consideratione trepidat, ne aut de his in quibus laudatur & non sunt, maius dei indicium inveniat, aut de his in quibus laudatur, & sunt, competens praemium perdat. For he sears, lest he should be the more punished by Almighty God, for wanting that for which he was praised, or if perhaps he want it not, yet he fears least these praises should prove to be his whole reward; and that so they will come and say to him, Recepisti bona in vita tua, Thou hast already received the reward of thy good works.  
So that, whereas proud men take occasion to look big, & grow vain upon the praises of men, from thence do such as are humble, take occasion to abase and confound themselves, so much the more. And this saith S. Gregory, is that, which the wise man affirms; Q●omodo probatur in conslatorio argentum, & in furnace aurum, sic probatur homo, ore laudantis. As silver is tried in the melter, and gold in the Crisoble, so is a man tried by the mouth of him, by whom he is praised.  
Gould and silver, if it be not right, is consumed by the fire, but if it be good, it is purified and clarified thereby. Just so, saith the wise man, is a man proved by praise. For when a man is esteemed and praised, if he exalt himself and grow vain through those praises, his Gold and silver is not good, because the Crysoble of the tongue consumes it, But he, who hearing his praises takes occasion from thence to be the more confounded and humbled, is most perfect Silver and gold, because that fire of praise did not consume it: but rather it remained more purified and perfected thereby, since the man was more confounded and humbled.  
Take you therefore this for a sign, whether you profit in the virtue of Humility or Noah, since the holy Ghost delivers it for such. Consider whether you be sorry when they esteem and praise you, or rather whether you be not content and glad. We read of our Father Franciscus de Borgia, that no one thing troubled him so much, as when he found himself to be honoured, for a Saint, and servant of God. And being asked once, why he afflicted himself so much for this, (himself not desiring it, nor procuring it) he made answer, that he feared the account which he was to give to God, When he found himself to be so far another man, from that which he was conceived to be, which is that which we said before of Saint Gregory. A●ter this manner, are we to be very deeply grounded in the knowledge of ourselves, that so the wind of praise and estimation of men, may not blow us up, and draw us out of our Nothing. But we must rather be the more ashamed thereof, & confounded thereby, considering how false those praises are, & that we have no such virtue in us, as may deserve them; and that we be not such as the world conceives, and publishes, and as indeed we ought to be.   

Of the fowerth step, which is to desire to be disesteemed, and despised, and to be glad thereof. CHAPTER XV.  
THe fowerth step for arriving to the perfection of Humility, is for a man to desire to be despised, and disesteemed, and he be glad of dishonours, injuries, and contempt. Saint Bernard saith, Verus humilis vilis vult reputari, non humilis praedicari, & gaudet de contemptu sui. The man who is truly humble, desireth to be held by others, in small account, and not to be accounted humble, but unworthy and mean, and to be glad thereof. This is the second degree of Humility, and in this the perfection thereof consists. And for this reason, Humility is compared to Narde which is a small and odoriferous herb, according to that of the Canticles. Nardus mea dedit odorem suum. For then dot the Odour of this Narde of Humility, extend and impart itself to others, when not only you put little esteem upon yourself, but when you alsoe desire, and like well, that you be despised and disesteemed by others. Saint Bernard notes, that there are two kinds of Humility. One is when a man considering himself, and perceiving his misery, and baseness, is convinced by the truth, and holds himself in no esteem and resolves that he is worthy to be despised and dishonoured by all men. He saith, that the former Humility, namely that of the understanding, was not in Christ our Lord; for it was not possible for him to think, that he deserved to be held in mean account, and much less to be dishonoured, and despised. Quoniam sciebat se ipsum. Because he understood himself perfectly well; and ●now that he was true God, and equal to his Father: Non rapinam arbitratus est, esse se aequalem Deo; sed semetipsum exinanivit, sormam serui accipiens. But the second kind of Humility, was in him, namely that of the hart, and will. For in regard of the great love which he bore us, he was pleased to abase and disauthorise himself; and to seem vile and contemptible in the eyes of men. And so he saith, Discite a me, quia mitis sum & humilis cord. Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of hart. But as for us, we are to have both these Humilities, because the first with out the second, is deceit full & false. To desire to seem, and to be held for other, then that which really you are, is falsehood & deceit. He who really is humble, and indeed thinks basely and disesteemes and despises himself, is alsoe to be glad, that others may d●spise and disesteem him.  
This is that which we are to learn of C●rist our Lord. Consider how cordially and with how ardent desire, and will, he embraced dishonour, and contempt for love of us. For he was not satisfied, with abasing and emptying himself, by making himself man, and takeing the form of a servant upon him, he who was & is the lord of heaven and earth; but he would needs assume the form and habit of a sinner. Deus filium suum mittens in similitudine carnis peccati, saith the Apostle. God sent his son, in the habit and similitude of a sinful man. He took not sin, because sin could not be in him, but he took the mark and sign of sinners, for he would be circumcised as a sinner, and baptised amongst Publicans and sinners; as if he had been one of them, and would be less esteemed than Barrabas, and judged to be a worse man, and more unworthy of life, than he. To conclude, the desire which he had to suffer, affronts, and scorns, and reproach, for love of us, was so very great, that he thought the hour to stay very long, wherein, all inebrated with love, he might remain naked, like another No, to be scorned by men. Baptismo habeo baptizari, & quomodo coarcto donee perficiatur. With baptism (saith he) am I to be baptised (which was a baptism of blood) and how am I in pain, till I may be able to put it in execution. Desiderio desideravi, hoc Pascha manducare vobiscum: with desire have I desired that the hour may once arrive, wherein there shall be nothing for me, but buffets, and spurns as to any slave. For he knew that they would spit upon his face, as a blasphemer; and cloth him with white as a fool, and with purple as a Counterfeit king, and above all that they would load him with scourges. Which was the punishment of Malefactors and murdering thiefs; and finally with the torment of the Cross in the company of murderers; which then was the most ignominious and reproach full manner of death, that could be sound in the world. This is that, which Christ our redeemer desired, with so great desire. Improperium expectavit cor meum, & miseriam, saith the Prophet in his name. I was expecting reproach, and affronts, as one would expect ●ome what which were very pleasing to him, and were to give him much gust; For indeed of such things as these, ought we to have. hope, and grief, for our fear of others. And the Prophett jeremy saith, Saturabitur opprobriis. He desired and thirsted after this hour, that he might as a man may say, even have his bellyful of reproaches, and affronts, and scorns, as of things to which he carried an extreme appetite, and of which he was very greedy, and indeed they were most savoury to him for the love of us.  
B●t now if the son of God, desired dishonour and contempt, with so great appetite, and received them with so much contentment and gust for the love of us, he having no way deserved them; me thinks it should be no such strange matter for us, who have so well deserved all kind of dishonour and contempt, to desire for love of him, to be held for no other than what we are, and to rejoice in suffering those disgraces and affronts which we deserve; as Saint Paul did when he said; Propter quod, placeo mihi in infirmitatibus meis, in contumelijs, in necessitatibus, in angustiis pro Christo. For which reason I rejoice in my infirmities, and injuries: & affronts, & necessities, & persecutions and all kind of difficulties, for Christ our Lord. And writing to the Philippians, and treating of his imprisonment, he desires them to bear him company, in the joy he had, to see himself in Chains, for Christ our Lord. He had such an abundance of joy in the persecutions and afflictions which he suffered, that he had to spare for his friends, and therefore he invited them to partake thereof, with him. This is that milk, which the Blessed Apostles sucked from the breast of Christ. And so we read thus of them; Ibant gaudentes a con●pectu concilii, quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine jesu, contumeliam pati. They were full of joy and gust, when they were carried prisoners, before their precedents, and into their Synagogues, and esteemed it for a great favour, & regalo, at the hands of God, to be thought worthy to suffer affronts, and injuries, for the name of Christ. Herein they were imitated by other Saints, as, for example by a Saint Ignatius the Martyr, who when they were carrying him to be martyred at Rome, with many scorns and reproaches, was full of joy and said: Nunc incipio Christi esse discipulus. It is but now, that I begin to be a Disciple of Christ.  
And this is that which our Father desires, that we may imitate, and he injoines it in these words, of great exaggeration & ponderation. They who shall enter here, & live in the Society, are to observe and consider, as in the presence of God, our Creator and our Lord, that it is of great moment, and must be with us of great account, in order to our profiting in the way of spirit; to abhor wholly, and not only in part, whatsoever the world embraces and loves; and to embrace with our whole hearts, whatsoever was embraced by Christ our Lord. For as worldly men follow, and love the world, and with all diligence search after worldly honour, and estimation, and fame, as the world teaches them, so they who walk in spirit and are serious in following Christ our Lord, do ardently desire the direct contrary. That is to say, the same clothing, and livery, which our Lord ware for the love and reverence which we bear him. And all this to such a proportion, as that where soever it may not be of any offence to his divine Majesty, nor involve the sin of any of our neighbours, nor ourselves give any occasion thereof, we must desire to suffer injuries, false testimonies, affronts, and to be esteemed for no better than fools, and this only, through a desire to imitate & resemble jesus Christ our Lord, and creator, in some poor manner. In this Rule is deciphered all that which can be said of Humility. This is to have, in good earnest, forsaken and detested the world, and the most difficult part thereof, which is the appetite and desire to be valued, and esteemed, this is to be dead to the world, and to be indeed Religious; that as they of the world, desire to be honoured and esteemed, and rejoice in it, so we may desire dishonour, and contempt, and be glad of them. This is to be truly of the Society of jesus, and to be the companions of jesus. Let us therefore keep him company, not only in name but in dishonour, and contempt; and let us put on his livery, in being affronted and despised by the world, with him, and for him; and in being joyful, and glad thereof for his love. Thou, O Lord, wert publicly proclaimed, as wicked; and placed between two murdering thiefs; and therefore permit not, that I be proclaimed for good; for it is not reason that the servant should be better esteemed then the Master. And if, O Lord, they persecuted and despised thee, let them also persecute, affront, and despise me, that so I may imitate thee, and appear to be thine assotiate, and disciple. Father Franciscus Xavier, said, that he held it to be unworthy of a Christian, who is ever calling to mind the affronts which were done to Christ our Lord, if he, the while, would take gust, in that the world should bear him reverence & honour.   

That the perfection of humility and of all other virtues, consists in performing the acts thereof, with delight and gust; and how much this imports towards our perseverance in virtue. CHAPTER XVI.  
IT is the common Doctrine of the Philosophers, that the perfection of virtue consists in performing the acts thereof, with delight, and gust. For treating of the signs whereby it may be known, whether a man have obtained the habit of any virtue: they say they are these; when a man works according to that virtue, Promptè, Faciliter, & Delectabiliter: with Promptitude, with Facility, and with Delight. He who hath acquired the habit of any art, or science, performs the works thereof, with extreme promptitude and facility, And so we see, that he who is skilful upon any instrument, and hath gotten the habit thereof, plays with extreme promptitude and facility: and hath no need to provide himself, nor to think much of the matter, for even though he think of other things, he will yet play well. Now in the self same manner, he who hath acquired the habit of virtue, performs the acts thereof. And therefore if you will know, whether you have acquired the virtue of Humility, look first whether you perform the works thereof with promptitude, and facility, for if you feel difficulty, or repugnance in the occasion which present themselves to you, it is a sign that you have not yet acquired the perfection of that virtue. And if, for the bearing them well, you have need of preventions, and consideration I confess it is a good way for the obtaining the perfection of that virtue, but still it is a sign, that you have not obtained it yet. As he, who is to play upon the Lute, must go thinking, where he is to place one finger, & where an other, & calling to mind the rules which he was taught, doth well towards his learning to play; but with all, it is a sign that as yet, he hath not gotten the habit of that instrument, For he who hath got it, needs not call this, or that to mind, to the end that he may play well. And so said Aristotle Ars perfecta, non deliberate, tam sibi facilis est actus suus. He who hath perfectly acquired the habit of any art, finds it so easy to perform the acts thereof, that he ha●h no need of cogitation or deliberation, how to do them, for the doing them well. And so the Philosophers come to say, that the virtue of a man is known, by his sudden and inconsiderate acts. In repentinis secundum habitum operamur; a man's virtue is not known by the acts which he performeth, upon great deliberation, but by such, as do come from him, at unawares.  
Yea and the Philosophers say yet more than this. Plutarch, treating how it may be known, when a man hath obtained a virtue gives two signs thereof; and one of them which the great Philosopher Zeno left in writing, is, by his Dreams. If even when you are in your dreams, as you are sleeping, you have no ill impulses or unclean imaginations; or when, if you have them, you take no gust or contentment in them, but the contrary: and when you resist the temptation and delight thereof even in your dreams, as if you were a wake, this is a sign, that the virtue is well rooted in your souls, and that, not only your vill is subject to reason, but even your sensual appetite, and imagination. Just so, as when Coach-horses are well taught, though the Coachman lay the raines on their necks, & perhaps sleep himself, yet they go on their way, without making any fault. So, saith the Philosopher: They who have perfectly obtained any virtue, and have totally subdued the affects and brutal appetites which repugn to it, go on their, right way, even when they sleep. Saint Augustine doth also teach us this doctrine, thus. Domine, memores mandatorum tuorum, etiam in somnis resistimus. Some servants of God carry so great an affection to virtue, and to the keeping of God's comaundements, and so great detestation against vice, and are so accustomed, and enured to the resistance of temptations, when they are a wake as that they resist them alsoe even when they sleep. We read in the life of Father Franciscus Xavier, that in a certain temptation or illusion which he had once in his sleep, cast up certain gulps of blood. In this sort do some declare, that place of Saint Paul: Sive vigelemus, sive dormiamus, simul cùm illo vivaemus: which imports only that both living and dying, we must ever live with Christ which is the common exposition: but moreover that the zealous servants of God, must ever live with Christ, and that not only waking, but even sleeping also, & dreameing.  
The Philosophers go yet further, and say; that the third condition or sign, whereby it may be known, if a man have perfectly obtained any virtue, is when he performs the works thereof, Delectabiliter, with delight and gust, for this is the principal sign, wherein the perfection of virtue consists. If therefore you will see whether you have obtained the perfection of the virtue of Humility, examine yourselves by that rule, which we delivered in the last Chapter; and see whether you be as glad of any dishonour, and affront, as worldly men use to be, of honour and estimation.  
But besides that all this is necessary for arriveing to the perfection of any virtue, there is yet another thing of very great importance, towards the contynuing, and persevering therein. For in fine, till we arrive to perform the actions of virtue, with gust and joy, it will be a thing of much difficulty, to continue in virtue. Saint Dorotheus saith, that this was the common doctrine of those ancient fathers: Solebant patres, & maiores nostri, firmiter asserere; Quicquid animus alacriter non admittit, diuturnum esse non posse. Those ancient Fathers were wont to say, and they held it for a most certain truth, that whatsoever was not performed with gust and joy, could not last any long tyme. It may well happen, that for some fit, you will keep silence, and live with modesty and recollection; but yet, till this flow from the very interior of the hart, and till by the good custom which you use, you make it grow as it were to be connatural to you, and so you come to perform it with swavitie and gust, you will not continue long therein, but it will pass, as being affectect and forced; Et nullum vi●lentum perpetuum. For this reason, it imports so much, to exercise the acts of any virtue with such constancy, as thereby to root it in the soul, which must even drink it up in such sort, that it may fall, even as it were of itself, upon the virtue and they may seem to be acts of our own nature, for so we shall perform them with joy and gust. By these means we may obtain a kind of security, that we shall continue and persever therein. This is that, which the Prophett saith: Sed in lege domini voluntas eius. Another translation saith, Said in lege Domini voluptas eius. Blessed is that man, whose whole contentment, joy, and gladness, is in the law of our lord, and who make it his delights, and entertainments; for that man will yield the fruit of good works, like a tree which is planted by the river side.   

The perfection to which we must procure to rise, in this second degree of Humility, is more declared. CHAPTER XVII.  
SAint john Climacus adds another point to the former; and saith that as proud men love honour and estimation, so much, that to be the more honoured, and esteemed by men, they fain, and pretend sometimes to certain things, which they have not, as namely more nobility, more riches, more capacity, and parts then their own; so it is the sign of a most profound Humility, when a man arrives to have so great a desire to be humbled, and despised, that for the obtaining thereof, he procures in certain cases, to feign, and to pretend to have some defects, which indeed he hath noth; that so he may come to be less esteemed. Of this, saith he, we have an example in a certain father Simeon; who, hearing that the Admiral of the Country, came to make him a visit, as to a famous and holy man, took a piece of bread and cheese into his hand, and sitting down at the door of his Cell, he began to eat thereof after such an untoward manner, as some natural fool might use, which as soon as the Admiral saw, he despised him; and the other remained with much contentment, for having obtained what he pretended. And we read of the like examples of other Saints, as namely, of Saint Francis, when he put himself to tread mortar, that so he might fly from honour, and from that reception which they had a mind to make him, and of Friar juniper alsoe when he put himself to play at boys play with Children, out of the same end.  
These Saints considered, that the world despised the son of God, who is the supreme and the infinite good; and perceiving the world to be so deceitful and false, and that is was mistaken in not knowing such a resplendent and clear light, as the son of God was, and in not honouring him who was most true and perfect honour; they conceived such a hatred and detestation against the world, and the estimation thereof, that they reproved all that which the world approves, and they praised and loved all that which the world despises, and hates: and so they fled with great care, from being praised and esteemed by the world which despised their God, and their lord: and they held it for a particular sign of being beloved by Christ our lord, to be despised by the world with him, and for the love of him. This is the cause, why Saints have taken so much gust, in the contumelies and affronts of the world; and have tried so many conclusions, for the obtaining to be contemned thereby. It is true, saith Saint john Climachus, that many of these things were done by particular instinct of the holy Ghost, and so are a more fit object, for our admiration then for our imitation to work upon. But Though we arrive not to perform that holy kind of simplicity, in act, as those Saints did, we must yet procure to imitate them in the love, and great desire which they had▪ to be undervalved and desprised.  
Saint Diadocus goes on further and saith, that there are two kinds of Humility, una mediorum, altera perfectorum. The first is of the middle sort, who are proficients, but yet are still in the fight, and are combated with the thoughts of pride, and of ill motions, though they procure with the grace of our Lord, to resist them by humbling and confounding themselves. Another Humility there is, which belongs to such as are perfect; and this is when our lord communicates so great light to a man, in the way of knowing himself, that it seems, as if now he could not be proud, yea and that even the motions thereof, could now come no more. Tunc anima velu● naturalem habet humilitatem. Then haht the soul, a kind of Humility, even as if it were natural. For howsoever he may perform great things, yet he exalts not himself one jot, the higher for that, nor doth he esteem himself the more, but rather holds himself for inferior to all. And he saith, there is this difference between these two kinds of Humility, that commonly the first is exercised with some trouble, and pain, as being, in fine, performed by such a one, as hath not yet obtained a perfect conquest of himself, but still feels some contradiction; for this is indeed that, which gives sorrow and pain: when the occasion of Humiliation and disestimation arrive; for in this case, they may take things with patience, but they cannot do it with joy; for still there is some what within, which makes resistance, because the passions are not overcome.  
But now the second kind of Humility; gives no pain or grief at all, but rather much joy (so that the man be indeed in that confusion & shame and have that true disesteem and contempt of himself before our lord) for such a one, hath nothing now, which can make him any resistance▪ in regard that he hath conquered and subdued the contrary passions, and vices, and obtained a perfect victory over himself. And from hence it is, saith the Saint, that they who have but the first humility, are troubled and altered, by the adversities, and prosperities and variety of events in this life. But as for them who possess the second Humility, neither are they troubled by things adverse, nor do prosperous things make them giddy, or light; nor do they cause any vain contentment in them; but they ever stand fast in one and the same kind of State, and they enjoy great tranquillity and peace, as men who have acquired perfection, & consequently are superior to all events. Nothing can disquiet and give pain to him, who desires to be disesteemed, and is glad thereof; for if that which might trouble him, and give him pain, namely the being forgotten and disesteemed, be that in fine which he desires, and that which gives him contentment and gust, who can ever be able to disquiet him? If in that whereby it seems others sustain so much war, he can find as much peace, nothing can deprive him of that peace. And so saith S. Chrisostome, Such a man as this, hath found heaven, and the state of happiness here on earth. Anima autem quae sic se habet, quid potest esse beatius? quicumque talis est, is in portu continuo sedet, ab omni tempestate liber, & oblectantur in screnitate cogitationum.  
Now to this perfection of Humility must we procure to arrive: and let us not hold it to be impossible, for by the grace of God, saith S. Augustine not only may we imitate the Saints but even the lord of Saints alsoe, if we will. For our Lord himself requires us to learn of him, Discite à me, quia mitis sum, & humilis cord. Learn of me, for I am meek, and humble of heart. And the Apostle Saint Peter, saith that he gave us am example to the end that we might imitate it. Christus passus est pro nobis, vobis relinquens exemplum, ut sequamini vestigia eius. And Saint Jerome upon those words of Christ our Lord, Si vis perfectus esse, saith, that it is clearly gathered from these words, that it is put into our power, to be perfect, since Christ our lord saith, If thou wilt be perfect. Q●ia si dixeris vires non suppetunt, qui inspector est cordis, ispe intelligit. For if you say, I have no strength wherewith to do it, God knows our weakness very well, and yet still he saith, that you may if you will: For he is ever ready to help us if we will: and with his help we may do all things. jacob (saith the Saint) saw a ladder which reached from earth, to the heavens, and the Angels went up and down by it; and at the upper end thereof, the omnipotent God himself sat, to help them, who were ascending up; and to animate them by his presence, to undertake that labour. And now procure you alsoe to mount this ladder, by these steps, whereof, we have spoken, for himself will reach you forth his hand that so you may be able to ascend even the last step thereof. When the traveller sees some steep hill, whereby he is to pass, it seems from fare off, to be a kind of impossible thing for him to ascend there: but when he comes nearer, he finds the way ready made and that it is easily to be overcomed.   

Of some means for the obtaining of this second degree of Humility, and particularly of the example of Christ our Lord. CHAPTER XVIII.  
THey ordinarily use to assign two several ways or means, for the obtaining of Moral virtues. The one, is of reasons and considerations, which may convince and animate us thereunto; and the other, is exercise of the acts of that virtue, whereby we may acquire the habits thereof. To begin with the first kind of means, one of the most principal, and efficatious considerations, whereof we may help ourselves towards being humble or rather the most principal, and most efficatious of them all, is the example of Christ our Lord, our M●ster and our Redeemer, whereof though we have already said some what, there will ever be enough to add. The whole life of Christ our lord, was a most perfect Original of Humility, from the very time of his birth, to that other of his expiring upon the Cross. But yet to this purpose, S. Augustine doth particularly ponder, the example which he gave us, by washing the feet of his disciples, upon that Thursday of the last Supper uhen he was even upon the very brimme of his passion, and death. Christ our Lord, saith S. Augustine, was not content with having given us the examples of his whole life past nor yet with them alsoe, which he was shortly to give in his passion, the same being then, so close at hand, wherein he was to appear according to the Prophett Isay, the very last, or lowest of men: and as the royal Prophet David saith, the very reproach and scorn of men, yea the very out cast of the world: But, sciens jesus, quia venit hora eius, ut transcat ex hoc mundo, ad patrem, cum dilexisset suos, qui erant in mundo, in finem dilexit eos. Our Lord jesus knowing, that his hour was now at hand, wherein he was to pass out of this world to his Father, high carried a great love to his disciples & was resolved, that he vould express it now towards the end of his life. And supper being ended, he rises from the table, he puts off his upper garment, he girds a towel to himself, he puts water into a basin, he prostrates himself at the feet of his disciples, yea and of judas too: he washes them with those divine hands of his, and he wipes them with the towel whereby he was girt. O unspekable mystery! What is this, O lord, which thou art doing? Domine tu mihi lavas pedes? saith the Apostle Saint Peter, Thou, O Lord, to wash my feet? The disciples understood not then, what he did. Quod ego facio tu nescis modo, scies autem postea, saith our Lord: you understand not now what I am doing; but ear long, I will declare it to you. He returns to the table, and declares the mystery thus at large. Vos vocatis me Magister, & Domine, & bene dicitis, sum etenim, si ergo ego lauipedes vestros Dominus & Magister, & vos debetis alter, alterius, lavare pedes. You call me Master and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If then I, being your Master and your Lord, have humbled myself, and have washed your feet, you are alsoe to do the like, to one another. Exemplum enim dedi vobis, ut quemadmodum ego feci vobis, ita & vos faciatis. I have given you an example, to the end that you may learn of me and do, as I have done. This is the mystery, that you learn to humble yourselves, as I have humbled myself. The importance of this virtue of Humility, is on the one side so great, and so is the difficulty alsoe on the other, that our Lord was not content with so many examples, as he had already given us, and had then so near at hand to give; but that, as one who well known our Weakness, and who perfectly understood the malignity of that peccant humour whereof our nature was sick, he would needs give us this strong Physic, against it, and put it amongst the chief legacies of his last will and Testament, that so it might remain the more deeply imprinted, in all our hearts.  
Upon those words of Christ our Lord, Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of hart, Saint Augustine exclaims thus: O doctrinam s●lutarem, O Magistrum, dominumque mortalium, quibus mors, poculo superbiae propinata, atque tran●fusa est, quid ut ducamus à te, venimus ad te. O Sovereign doctrine, O Master and Lord of all men, into whom death entered by means of pride, what is it O lord which thou wilt have us come, and learn of thee? That I am meek and humble of heart. This is that which you are to learn of me. Huccine redacti sunt, omnes thesauri s●pientiae & scientiae absconditi in te, ut pro magno discamus à te, quoniam mitis sum & humilis cord: In this are the treasures of the wisdom, and knowledge of the Father summed up, which have been hidden in thee, that, thou tell us, for the highest point, that we must come and learn of thee, that: Thou art meek and humble of hart? Ita me magnum est esse paruum, ut nisi a te qui tam magnus es, ficret, disci omnino non posset. It is so high and great a thing, for a man to make himself little, that unless thou who art so great, hadst made thyself little, no man could have learned it of thee? Yea saith Saint Augustine, So great and so hard a thing it is, for a man to humble himself, and make himself little, that if Gof himself had not humbled himself, and become little, men would never have been brought to humble themselves. For there is nothing so deeply conveyed into their very bowels, and so incorporated, as it were, into their hearts, as this desire of being honoured, and esteemed, and therefore was all this necessary, to the end that we might grow to be humble; for such Physic did the infirmity of our pride require, and such a wound, such a cure. But if such a receipt as this for God to have made himself man, and to have humbled himself so much for our sakes, will not recover us, and cure our pride, I know not, saith S. Augustine, what will ever be able to do it. Haec medicina si superbiam non curate, quid eam curet nescio. If to see the Majesty of our Lord so abased, and humbled, will not suffice to make us ashamed of desiring to be honoured and esteemed, and that here upon, we yet will not grow to a thirst of being despised; and a based with him, and for the love of him, I know not what will ever serve the turn. And Guericu● the Abbott, being amazed and convinced by the great example of our Lord's Humility, exclaims, and expresses that which it is reason that we should alsoe say, and draw from hence. Vicisti Domine, vicisti superbiam meam: ecce do manus in vinculatua, accipe seruum sempiternum. Thou hast overcome, O Lord, thou hast overcome my pride: th●ne example hath bound me hand and foot: behold I render and deliver up myself into thy hands, for an everlasting slave.  
It is alsoe an admirable conceit, which the glorious S. Bernard, brings to this purpose. The son of God (saith he) saw two creatures, and bo●h were generous, n●ble, and capable of tha● blessed state, to which they had been created by Almighty God, and they both, lost themselves, because they would needs be like him. God created the Angels, and instantly Lucifer had a mind to be like Almighty God. In coelum conscendan, super astra dei exalta●o solium meum: sede●o in monte testamenti, in lateribus Aquilonis; ascendam super altitudinem nubium, similis ero altissimo: And then he carried others after him, and God cast them instantly down to Hell, and so of Angels, they became devils. Verumtamen ad infernum detraberis, ad profundum laci. God alsoe created man, and instantly the devil struck him with his own leprosy, and poison. Eritis sicut dij, scientes bonum & malum. They fell gluttonously upon what he told them, namely that they should be as God, and then they broke the divine commandment, and so became like the devil. The Prophett Eliseus, said to his servant Giezi after he took the presents of the leprous Naaman, Thou hast taken the goods of Naaman, and behold his leprosy shall alsoe stick to thee, and to all thy descendants for ever. This was the judgement of God against man, that since he would needs have the riches of Lucifer which was his pride, he should also have his leprosy, which was the punishment thereof. You see therefore here, that man was alsoe undone, and made like the Devil, because he would needs be like God. And what might now be fit for the son of God to do, finding his eternal Father to be so jealous, and careful to maintain his own honour. Ecce, inquit occasione mei, creaturas suas pater amittit. I see, saith he, that, by my occasion, my father loses his creatures. The Angels would needs be as I am, they overthrew themselves; man would alsoe be so, and he was also overthrown. They all have envy at me, and would fain be such as I am. Well then, Ecce venio, & talem eis exhibeo me ipsum, ut quisquis in videre voluerit, quisquis gestierit imitari, fiat ei aemulatio ista in bonum. Behold saith the son of God, I will go in such a form, that who soever will from hence forth, become like me, shall not lose but gain; and for this came the son of God from heaven and made himself man. O therefore, let such a bounty and mercy be blessed, and praised, and glorified, which moved Almighty God to condescend to that so great appetite, which we had to be like him, for now we may be as God, not according to falsehood, and with a lie, and according to what the devil said, but according to truth; and not now with pride, and malice, but with much sanctity, and Humility. Upon those words, Paruulus natus est nobis, the same Saint saith, Studeamus effici sicut paruulus, discamus ab eo quia mitis est & humilis cord, ne magnus Deus sine causa factus sit homo paruulus. Since God being so great made himself little, for us, let us procure to humble ourselves, and make ourselves also little; that so it may not be to no purpose, for us, that the great God made himself so little as to become a Child for us. Quia nisi efficiamini sicut paruulus iste, non intrabitis inregnum caelorum: Because if you become not like this little Child, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.   

Of some humane considerations, and reasons, whereby we are to help ourselves for being humble. CHAPTER XIX.  
FRom the very beginning of this Treatise, we have been declaring many considerations and reasons, which may help and animate us much towards the getting of the virtue of Humility: showing that it is the root and foundation of all the virtues, the short way to acquire them, the means to conserve them, and that, in fine, if we possess this, we shall be Masters of them all. But yet, that it may appear, that we mean not to carry it all, by the only way of spirit, it will not be a miss, that we deliver some humane considerations and reasons, which may be more proportionable and connatural to our weakness; to the end that being so convinced not only by vay of spirit, and of perfection, but even of natural reason alsoe, we may have both more courage, and more affection to the contempt of honour, and estimation of the world, and to proceed in the way of Humility; for all this will be needful, for the acquiring of a thing so hard as this; and so it will be well, that we help ourselves of it all.  
Let it therefore be the first, that we put ourselves to consider, and examine at good leisure, and with attention, what thing this honour, and estimation of men is, which makes so still war against us, and gives us all so much to do. Let us see, what weight, and bulk it hath, that so we may esteem it no better than it deserves, and may animate ourselves to despise it, and not continue in so much error, as now we find ourselves subject to. Seneca said very well, that there are many things, which we hold to be great, not because indeed they are great; but because our poorness, and wretchedness is such, that the small seems great, and the little much, to us. And he brings the example of that weight, which is ordinarily carried by Ants: w●●ch in respect of their body is very great, being yet very small in itself; and i●st so it is, with the honour and estimation of the world. If you deny it, I would ask whether you be indeed, either the bet●er because others esteem you, or the worse because they esteem you not? Infaillibly you are not. Saint Augustine saith, Nec malam conscientiam sanat praeconium laudantis, nec bonam vulnerat convitiantis opprobrium. Neither is the ill man made good, by being esteemed, and praised: nor the good man made ill, by being discommended and reproached. Senti de Augustino quicquid libet, sola me in oculis Dei conscientia non accuset. Think of Augustine what thou wilt, that which I desire, is that my conscience may not reproach me in the sigh of God. This is that which imports, the rest is soolery, for it neither gives, nor takes away. This is that, which that other Saint saith. What is a man the better for being praised by another. And as much as any man is in the sight of God, so much indeed he is, and no more, as the humble. Saint Francis said, or rather as was said by the Apostle Saint Paul. Non enim qui se ipsum commendat, illi probatus est, sed quem Deus commendat.  
Saint Augustine brings a good comparison, to this purpose. Est enim superbia, non magnitudo, sed tumour: quod autem tumet, videtur magnum, sed non est tamen. Pride and estimation of the world, is not greatness but swelling and wind. And as when any part is swelled, it seems, but is not truly great, so proud men, who are valued and esteemed by the world, seem as if they were great, but they are not so; because that is not greatness but swelling. There are certain sickly men, who sometimes are thought to be upon recovery, because they seem to look fat, and well, but that fatness is not sound, and good, but it is rather sickly, and swelling. So saith Saint Augustine, is the applause and estimation of the world, it may puff you up, but it cannot make you great. If then it be so, that the opinion and estimation of the world is not any thing of greatness in itself, but rather o● sickness and swelling, why do we go up and down like Chameleons, sucking in wind with our mouths open, that so we may be the more swollen, and sick? It is better for a man to be in health, though he seem sick, then to be sick, and seem sound so alsoe is it better to be good, though he seem wicked, then to be wicked, and be held for good. For what good will it do you, to be held virtuous, & spiritual if indeed you be not so. Et laudent eum in portis opera eius. Saint Jerome saith upon these words, Not the vain praises of men, but your good works must defend and praise you when you appear in judgement, before Almighty God.  
Saint Gregory recounts how in the Monastery of Hiconia, there was a certain Monk who was generally in the opinion of being a saint, and especially for being very abstinent, and full of penance alsoe, otherwise. But the hour of his death being come, he desired that all the Monks might be called to him. For their parts they were very glad of it, as conceiving, that they were to hear from him, some, matter of much edification, but he trembled, and was full of anguish & found himself compelled from within, to declare his true state to them. And so he made them know, that he was damned, because all his life had been but Hypocrisy. For when they thought he fasted, and did much penance, he eat secretly when they saw him not, and for this saith he, am I now delivered over to a terrible and furious beast, whose tail hath wreathed itself about, and tied my feet, and his head is already entringnow into my mouth, to fetch out and carry a way my soul with him for ever. And with this words he expired, to the great amazement of them all. And now, what was these miserable creature, the better for having been reputed a Saint?  
Saint Athanasius compares proud men, who go in search of honour, to children who hunt butterflies. Others compare them to spiders, who destroy and defeat themselves, in making their webs, for the hunting of flies, according to that of Esay. Telas araneae texuerunt. For so the proud man ever disinbowells himself and casts up, as it were, his very maw, that he may obtain a little humane praise. We read in the life of Father Franciscus Xavier, that he ever both carried and showed, a most particular hatred, and detestation against this opinion, and estimation of the world, for he said that it was the cause of great mischeefs, and the impediment of many blessings. And so they heard him cry thus out sometimes, with much earnestness, and many sighs: O opinion, O opinion & estimation of the world, how many mischiefs hast thou wrought already, how many workest thou now, and how many wilt thou continue to work.   

Of other humane reasons, which will help us to be humble. CHAPTER XX.  
SAint Chrysostome upon those words of Saint Paul. Non plus sapere quam oportet sapere, sed sapere ad sobrietatem, goes proveing very expressly, that the proud and arrogant person, is not only wicked and sinful, but a stark fool with all, and for this, he brings that of Esay, Stultus enim fatua loquitur the fool speaks foolish things; and by the follies which he utters, you shall understand, him indeed to be a fool. Well then▪ let us observe the follies which are uttered by the arrogant and proud man: and we shall quickly see what a fool he is. What is that, which the first proud creature uttered, which was Lucifer. In coelum conscendam, super astra dei exaltabo solium meum, stabo in Monte testamenti, in lateribus Aquilonis; ascendam super altitudinem nubium, similis ero altissimo. I will mount up to heaven, and I will place and exalt my throne above the clouds, and being there, above the Stars, I will be like the most high. Quid stultius? What could be more foolishly and disjointedly conceived. And in the tenth Chapter, he sets down very arrogant and foolish words of Assur, king of the Assirrians wherewith he glorified himself, in that, with his powerful hand, he had conquered and subdued all the kings of the earth. Et invenit quasi nidum, manus mea fortitudinem populorum, & sicut colliguntur ova, quae derelicta sunt, sic universam terram ego congregavi, & non fuit qui moverit pennam, & aperiret os, & ganniret. As when a man takes the poor little birds out of a nest, which are bred up, by the elder birds, and as a man who goes to gather the eggs which are not defended, so have I (saith he) conquered all the earth, with the same facility; nor was there any one who durst so much as stir, yea or so much as open his mouth against me, either in earnest or in jest. What greater folly can there be then this, saith Saint Chrisostome? And there he alsoe bring sin diverse other speeches of proud men, which discover very sufficiently what fools they are, so that if you hear & mark their words, you will not easily discern whether they be words of a proud man, or of some other who is a mere sot, so absurd and disjointed they are. And so we daily see, that as fools move us to laughter, with what they say, and do, so do alsoe proud men, in their conversation, by the arrogant words which they utter, redounding to their own praise, and by the gestures which they use, and by the State and foolish gravity wherewith they walk, and by the high account which forsooth, they will needs have men make both of their persons, & of all that which is theirs, and by the estimation wherein they themselves hold them. And Saint Chrysostome adds, that the stupidity, or folly of proud men, is worse, and worthy of greater reproach and shame, then that which is natural; for this carries no fault or sin with it, but the other doth. From whence alsoe follows, another difference between these two follies, that they who are natural fools, cause pity and move all men to be sorry and compassionate of their misery; whereas the folly of proud men, moves not others to compassion, and pity, but to laughter and scorn.  
But in the mean time, proud men are sots, and so we must proceed with them as such. For as we must condescend, and seem to yield to that which fools say, that so we may have peace with them (though indeed the thing be not so, or at least though we understand it not after that manner,) (but yet still we will not contradict him, because in fine he is a fool) just so do we proceed with proud men. And indeed this humour, and madness, reigns so much in the world at this day, that now we can hardly converse with men, but we must be fain to smooth them, and to say that, which really is not so, Noah nor is so conceived by us. For the other takes so much gust to understand that his stories give contentment and seem so well to others; that there is no better way to oblige him, and to gain his good will, then by praising him. And this, saith the wiseman, is one of the vanities and follies which he saw in the world, namely that wicked men were praised, as good, because they were in high place. Vidi impios sepultos, qui etiam cum adhuc viverent, in loco sancto erant, & laudabantur in civitate quasi iust●rum operum▪ sed ut hoc vanitas est. What greater vanity and madness can there be, then to praise men, when they think there is no cause for it, yea and to do, as many times is done, when some praise others, for that which they did ill, or at least for what they thought, was ill done. And the jest is, that they have already told others what they really think of you, but yet with you, because forsooth you must be kept contented, they stick not for the most part, to lie. At other times, they are fain to seek out byways, that so they may be able without lying, to speak well of that, which indeed they do not like, and the matter is, because they must treat you, and condescend to you as they would, to some stupid set, or fool. The while, that other conceives, that you are of the same humour with him, and that you are alsoe glad when you are dealt with after the same manner: and that the best morsel of the meat which he can be able to give you, after you have preached or performed some such thing, is to tell you that you discharged it excellently well, and that all the world was highly pleased with you, and he treats you thus, to keep you in contentment, or else to gain your good opinion, and affection, whereof perhaps he hath need; but that for which this serves indeed, is to make you a verryer fool than you were before: because he praises you for what you said or did ill, and so you are the more animated and confirmed, in committing the same errors another tyme. Men dare not now a days, speak what they think, because they know that truth is grown troublesome. Veritas odium parit. And they know that as he who is mad, and frantic refuses to take physic, and spits in the doctor's face, when he desires to cure him: so doth the proud man resist admonition and reformation. And therefore, men will not tell such a one that which is to put him out of appetite, for no man desires to buy trouble with money, but they think it the shorter way, to make him think they like that, which yet indeed they mislike, and the other believes all, and is well pleased with it: Whereby alsoe we may see the truth of that which we delivered in the last chapter, namely, how great a vanity and madness it is, to make any accounthe of the praises of men, since we see that in this age, all is compliment, deceit, flattery, and lies. For even they are able to derive and interpret the word after this manner, Complimento cumplo y miento, that is to say, I comply, and I lie, and the cause why I lie, is that I may comply.  
But proud men, saith S. Chrisostome are abhorred by all. First by almighty God as the wiseman saith: Abominatio domini est omnis arrogans; Every arrogant man, is a very abomination, in the sight of God. And of seven things which God abhors, he places pride for the first. Oculos sublimes. And not only are they abhorred by God, but by men alsoe. Odibilis coram deo est, & hominibus superbia. Sicut eructant praecordia faetentium, sic & cor superborum. As they who have ill longs, have so unsavoury breath, that there is no indureing of it, so alsoe have proud men.  
But now even this very world, gives them here the pay of their pride, for it punisheth them in that very thing, to which they most pretend, and all proves with them, the contrary way. They pretend to be valued and esteemed by all, and they are held by all to be sots, and fools. They pretend to be beloved by all, and indeed they are abhorred by all. By their betters, because these men make themselves their equals; by their equals, because these men make themselves their betters; by their inferiors t because these men depress them more than they should. Even the domestics and servants speak ill of their Master, and endure him not. Vbi fuerit superbia, ibi erit contumelia, and on the other side, the humble man is valued, and esteemed, affected and beloved by all. As Children who for their goodness, their innocency, their simplicity of hart, are beloved, so, saith the glorious Saint Gregory, are the humble. For that clearness and plainness of their speech, and that conversing with out doubleness or deceit, even robs men of their very hearts. Humility, is a loadstone which draws all men's affections to it: and it seems that all men, if they could, would take this humble man, into their very hearts.  
To the end that we may at length be fully persuaded that it is a mere madenes, to go desiring, and procuring the estimation and opinion of men Saint Bernard makes a very good Dilemma, and concludes thus. Either it is madness in the son of God, to abase and empty himself so fare, as to choose contempt, and dishonour for himself, or else it is extreme madness in us, to be in so great desire of the honour, and estimation of the world. It was not folly, or madness in the son of God, neither could it be, though the world thought it was as Saint Paul saith: Nos autem praedicamus Christum crucifixum, judaeis quidem scandalum▪ gentibus autem stultitiam, ipsis autem vocatis judaeis, atque Graecis, Christum Dei, virtutem, & Dei sapientiam. To the blind and proud Gentiles and jews, Christ our Lord seems to be a folly or madness: but unto us who have the light of Faith, be is infinite wisdom and love. Now if his were infinite wisdom, it will follow, that ours is stupidity, and folly; and that we are very so●s in making such account as we do of the opinion estimation, and honour of the world.   

That the certain way, for a man to be valued and esteemed, even by men, is to give himself to virtue and Humility. CHAPTER XXI.  
IF with all that which we have said, you will not yet forsake these fumes, & abate that edge and desire of honour, and estimation, but will still be saying, that in fine it is a great point, to hold a good opinion, and estimation amongst men, and that this imports very much, even for the edification of your neighbours, and for many other things, and that the wiseman Counsels us to have a care thereof, Curam habe de bono nomine: I say let it be so, in the name of God; I am content that you have care to keep the good name you have, and that you be esteemed, and held in good opinion by the world. But yet I give you to understand with all, that if you desire it, as you say you do, you err, even in order to that for which you desire it, and that you shall never obtain that end, by this means, but the direct contrary. The safe and certain way, whereby you shall infaillibly come to be much valued, and esteemed by men, is virtue, and Humility, as Saint Chrisostome saith. Procure every one of you in particular, to be a good Religious man, and to be the meanest, and humblest of all the rest, and that you may appear to be so, by your manner of proceeding; and in the occasions which shall present themselves, and so you shall be valued, and esteemed by all men. This is indeed the honour of a Religious man, who hath forsaken the world; and whom it is a better sight to see with a broom in his hand, and a poor coat upon his back, in the exercise of some low and mean office, then to behold a Cavalier, with horse and arms. And on the contrary side, for him to desire to be valued, and esteemed by men, as a dishonour and affront to him as it were to go out of his Religious order, and return to the world; for which men would justly despise him. Quia hic homo caepit aedificare, & non potuit consummare. Because this man began to build, and could not finish it. And so it is with such as desire and pretend to be valued and esteemed by men; which indeed is to return to the world with the hart. For this estimation, is the most truly and properly belonging though the world, and that which you forsook, and from which you fled when you came to be Religious men.  
Will you clearly see how shameful, and reproachful a thing it is, for such men to affect the estimation of the world, who profess to aspire towards perfection? Let such a desire come but once so to light, as that others may discern that you desire it; and you will quickly find, how much yourself will be confounded, and out of countenance, that any such thing should be conceived of you. We have a very good example of this, in the holy Gospel. The Evangelists relate, that the Apostles went once with Christ our Lord but yet at such distance from him that they might think he heard them not, and so they went discoursing, and arguing amongst themselves. Quis eorum videretur esse maior. Which of them was to be the chief, and best man amongst them. But when they were all come home to Cafernaum, he asked them what that was, about which they had been discoursing upon the way. And the holy Gospel saith, that the poor men were so ashamed, and out of countenance to see their pretention and ambition discovered, that they had not one word to say. At illi tacebant, siquidem in via inter se disputaverant, quis eorum maior esset. But than did the Saviour of the world take them in hand, and say. You must know, O you my disciples, that amongst worldly men, and them who live according to the custom of the world, they who govern and command will be esteemed, and honoured a● great persons. Vos autem non sic, sed qui maior est in vobis, fiat sicut minor, & qui praecessor est, sicut ministrator. But in my school, it is directly otherwise; for the greatest there, is to be the least, and must be a servant to all the rest. Si quis vult primus esse, erit omnium novissimus, & omnium minister.  
In the house of God, and in a Religious Order he who humbles and abases himself most, is the great man. He who makes himself the least of all; makes himself the most esteemed of all. This is honour here, in a Religious house: but that other, to which some pretend, is no honour but dishonour and instead of being valued and esteemed they come by that means, to be the most disesteemed, and despised men of the company, because they are held proud, which is the greatest descent that can be made. By nothing can you lose more than if once it come to be found, that you desire & pretend to be valued, and esteemed by men, and that you are standing upon punctilios, and spend your thoughts upon such toys as these. And so john Climacus saith very well, That vain glory hath many times, been an occasion of ignominy to the owners, for it hath made them set upon things whereby they have proclaimed their vanity and ambition & so came to infamy and confusion. Saint Bonaventure adds, that pri●e blinds the understanding in such sort, th' t many times, the more pride you have, the leesse you know it: and so, as being blind, a proud man saith, and doth such things as that i● himself could see them well, he would not for the world either say or do them, even though there were no such thing as God, or virtue, but merely for that reputation, and honour's sake, which is so eagerly pursued. How many times doth it happen, that a man is troubled, and complains, because they made no reckoning of him, in such an occasion, or that they preferred some other before him in such a business; he conceiving that it belonged to him, and that he received a wrong thereby, and that it will redound to his dishonour and diminution, and that it will lie as a note upon him, and that others will discover it, & reflect upon it, and under this colour, he gives them to understand the exception which he takes, and the trouble which he sustains, by means whereof in very deed, he remains more noted, and disesteemed, because he is held now for proud, and for a man that stands upon certain points of honour, which here in a course of Religion, is a most abominable kind of thing. Whereas, if he would have passed it over, and neglected himself, and given way, that Superious might do their will, he might have gained much honour, and been much esteemed for it.  
So that, though there were no such thing as a way of spirit, but that men were only to live in a course of prudence, and discretion, yea and even according to the very laws of the world, the true and certain way for a man to be valued, esteemed affected, and beloved by men, is to addict himself seriously to acquire virtue, & Humility. Even among the Gentiles, it is recounted of Agesilaus, who was the chief of the Lacedæmonians, and accounted a wise man amongst them, that being asked by Socrates, how a man should do to make all others esteem and conceive well of him, made this answer, Si talis esse studeas qualis haberi vis. If you shall procure to be such, as you desire to seem. And afterward, the same man, being asked concerning the same thing answered thus, Si loquaris quae sunt optima, & facias quae sunt honestissima. If you speak ever well, and do better. And it is related of another Philosopher, that he had a great friend, who in every occasion spoke all good of him▪ and telling him one day that he owed him much, because where soever he chanced to be, he praised him much, and spoke much of his virtues, the Philosopher answered him thus, I pay you well for your pains, by living in such sort, as that you may not lie, in any of those things which you have said of me.  
But now we say not, for all this, that we must give ourselves to virtue, and Humility, to the end that we may be valued, and esteemed by men, for that were pride, and a perverse error. That which we say is, that if we procure to be humble indeed, and at the hart, we shall be valued and esteemed much, whether we will or Noah: nay and the more we fly from honour and estimation, and the more we shall desire to be despised, it will follow us the faster, just as the shadow doth the body, Saint jerosme, treating of Saint Paula saith. Fugiendo gloriam, gloriam merebatur, quae virtutem quasi umbra sequitur, & appetitores sui deserens appetit contemptores. Flying from honour and estimation, she was more honoured and esteemed. For as the shadow whilst, a man flies from it follows him, and on the contrary side, if he follows the shadow it flies from him, and the faster he runs from it the more it flies, and so, as that he can never overtake it; just so it is, in the point of honour and estimation. This was taught us by Christ our Lord, in the holy Gospel, when he discoursed of the way men were to hold in public meetings. When you shall be invited (saith he) sit not down in the highest place lest perhaps a guest of greater quality than yourself may have been desired; and when he arrives, they wish you to quit that place, and then you descend to the lowest w●th much confusion and shame. But that which you are to do, is to sit down in the lowest place, that so when he comes who invited you, he may cause you to ascend higher, and thus you shall receive honour, before all the company. Which in substance is the same thing, that the holy Ghost had said before, by the mouth of the wiseman. Ne gloriosus appareas coram reg●, & in loco magnorum ne staeteris; melius est enim ut dicatur tibi ascende huc, quàm ut humilieris coram principe. But the parable concludes with saying: Quia omnis qui se exaltat humiliabitur; & qui se humiliat exaltabitur. For every man who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself, shall be exalted. here you see, how the humble man who chooses the lowest and meanest place, is valued and esteemed, no only before God, but before men alsoe; and on the other side, the proud man, who seeks the best and highest seat, is underualued, and despised. Saint Augustine exclaims and saith, O Sancta Humilitas, quàm dissimilis es superbiae. O holy Humility how unlike art thou to pride? Ipsa superbia fratres mei, Luciferum de caelo deiecit, sed humilitas, dei filium incarnavit. Ipsa superbia, Adam de Paradiso expulit, sed humilitas latronem in Paradisum introduxit superbia gigantum linguas divisit, & confudit, sed humilitas cunctas congregavit d●●ersas. Superbia Nabucodonosor in bestiam transmutavit: sed humilitas Ioseph principem Israel constituit. Superbia Pharaonem submersit, sed humilitas Moysen exaltavit. Pride, O my brethren, cast Lucifer down out of heavem: but Humility brought the son of God from thence, to become man. Pride cast Adam out of Paradi e: but humility carried the good thief in thither Pride, divided and confounded the tongues of the Giants: but Humility, united all them which were divided. Pride tranformed Nabucodonosor into a beast; but humility made joseph lord of Egypt, and Prince of the people of Israel. Pride drowned Pharaoh, but Humility raised, and exalted Moses.   

That Humility, is the means to obtain inward peace of mind, and that without it, this cannot be had. CHAPTER XXII.  
DIscite a me quia mitis sum, & humilis cord: & invenietis requiem animabus vestris. Learn of me, for I am meek, and humble of hart, and you shall find rest for your souls. One of the chief, and most efficatious reasons which we can bring for the animating ourselves to despise honour, and to procure to be humbled, is that which Christ our Redeemer propounds to us in these words: namely that it is a most excellent means, for the obtaining of interior quietness, and peace to the soul, a thing so much desired by all Spiritual men; and which Saint Paul sets down for One of the fruits of the holy Ghost. Fructus autem spiritus pax. That we may the better understand this quietness, and peace, Which the humble man enjoys, it will be well, that we consider the disquiet and restlessness, which the proud man ever carries in his hart, for one contrary is the better known by the other. The holy scripture is full of sentences, which declare that wicked men have no peace. Non est pax impijs dicit Dominus. Pax pax & non erat pax. Contritio & infelicitas in vijs eorum, & viam pacis non cognoverunt. They know not what kind of thing peace is, and though sometimes they may exteriorly seem to have peace yet that is not true peace; for there within in their very heart, they have a war, which their conscience is ever making against them. Ecce in pace amaritudo mea amarissima. Wicked men ever live with bitterness, and sadness of heart.  
But proud men are subject after a particular manner to great unquietness, and want of peace. And the express reason hereof we may very well collect, out of Saint Augustine: who saith, that instantly envy grows out of pride, whose daughter it is: and that it is never to be found, with out the company of this hate full issue. Quibus duobus malis, hoc est superbia, & in videntia, diabolus diabolus est. Which two sins of pride, and envy, make t●e devil to be that very devil which he is. Now then, by this we may understand, what mischief these two sins are likely to work, in the hart of man: since they are bad enough to make the devil a devil. He who, on the one side, shall be full of pride, and of the desire of honour and estimation, and sees that things succeed not according to his design: and on the other side, is alsoe full of envy, which is the daughter of pride, and is ever in company thereof, when he shall see that others are more esteemed, and preferred before him, will certainly be full of bitterness, and restlessness: for there is nothing which so wounds the poor man, nor reaches so near to his very hart, as those things aforesaid.  
The holy Scripture paints this untto us, to the life, in the person of that proud Aman. He was the favourite of king Asuerus, above all the Princes and Grandes of his Dominions. He had great abundance of temporal goods, and riches, and was so highly valued, and esteemed by all, that now it seemed that there was nothing left for him to desire. And yet nevertheless, it gave him so great pain, that one singleman, and he a mean person, who sat usually at the gate of the Palace, made no reckoning of him nor did him reverence, nor rose up, nor stirred from his place whilst he was passing by, that he esteemed not all he possessed at a rush, in comparison of the distemper, and pain to which he vas put thereby. This himself confessed, by way of complaint to his wife and friends, whilst in discourse he was speaking to them of his prosperity, and power otherwise. Et cum haec omnia habeam, nihil me hab●re puto, quandiu videro Mardochaeum judaeum, sedentem ante fores regias: That so we may see the restlessness of a proud man, and the high Waves, and storms, which toss his hart. Impij autem quasi mare feruens quod quiescere non potest. ●●ke a sea which is angry and fierce, see high goes the hart of a proud and wicked man. And now the rage which grew in the hart of Aman, upon that occasion▪ was so great, that he disdained to lay hold upon Mardochaeus, who was but a poor particular man, unless knowing him to be a jew by nation, he might alsoe procure warrants from the king; in virtue where of all that race of men, who were to be found in his dominions might be put to death. He commanded alsoe a very high gibbet to be erected in a Court of his own house, where upon he meant that Mardochaeus should be hanged. But his dream fell out fare otherwise, and the jews proved to be the men, who exccuted upon their-enemies, the sentence which had been given against them: and Aman himself was hanged upon the very gallows, which he had prepared for Mardochaeus.  
But first, there happened a sound mortification to him, and it was this. He going one morning very early to the Court, in order to the revenge which he had designed, and to obtain a warrant from the king for the executing thereof, it happened that the night before, the king, not having been able to sleep, commanded them to bring him the History and Chronicles of his times, and when by course of reading, they were come to those particulars, of what Mardochaeus had done in service of the king, by discovery of a certain treason, which some of his own servants, had plotted against him, he inquired what reward had been given that man, for that service; and they told him none at all. The king then asked, who was without, and whet●er yet men were come to make their Court. They told him that Aman was there, and so he was bidden to enter. The king than asked him t●●s question. What will it be fit to do for that man, though whom the king desires to do honour.  
Now Aman conceiving that himself was to be the man, to whom that honour was to be done, made this answer: The man whom the king desires to honour, should be clad in the king's princely robes, and set upon the kings own horse, with the Crown Royal upon his head: and one of the prime men of the Court, should go before him, leading the horse in his hand, & proclaiming, thus in the public places of the City, Thus is he to be honoured whom the king will honour. Well then, said the king go thou to that Mardochaeus, who keeps about the court gate and do then all that to him▪ which thou hast said to me, & be sure thou fail in no one circumstance. Think now what wound of anguish, that wicked and proud hart would seel but in fine he durst not fail of executing the order to a hair. It seemed to be beyond imagination, to think of a greater mortification than this was for him; but yet instantly after, followed that other, of his being hanged upon that very gibbett, which he had caused to be provided for Mardochaeus. This is the pay which the world is wont to give to such as serve it.  
And now let us consider, from whence all this Catastrophe grew: Because forsooth Mardochaeus would not rise up, and do him reverence, when he passed by. For such a foolery as this is, able to keep proud men, so unquiet and restless, that they shall ever be wounded by it, and made sad at the hart. And so we see it, at this day in worldly men; and so much more do we see it, as the men are in more eminent place. For all such things as these, are as so many needle's points, to them, which gall, and transpierce them from side to side, nor is there any sharper lance which they can feel, nor do they ever want their part of this, how much soever they are extolled, and what soever they possess; but they ever have their hearts as bitter as gall, and they ever walk up and down the world, with perpetual unquietness, and want of rest. And the same will alsoe happen here in Religion, if a man be proud? for than he will alsoe here, reflect whether they make so much account of him as of others: and in what occasions they employed such or such a man, and laid him a side. And these things and the like, will cause as great unquietness in him, as the puntoes and pretensions of worldly men, will do in them, and peradventure more. How many have been put to run hazard of their vocation, by such things as these? Nay how many have thus been drawn out of Religion, when they conceived that they could not continue without being affronted, and that they should never be valued and esteemed. Yea how many have by this means, been brought by little and little, to endanger their salvation. For not only is humility necessary for perfection, but many times alsoe for salvation. Nisi efficiamini sicut paruùli, non in rabitis in regnum caelorum. O with how great reason did Father Franciscus Xavier say, O opinion, O opinion, and estimation of m●n: how great mischief hast thou wrought dost thou work, and wilt thou work in his world.  
From hence we may understand, another particular which we experiment very often, namely that although it be true, that there is a sickness of melancholy, yet many times it happens that a man's being melancholy and sad, is not the humour of Melancholy, or any corporal infirmity, but it is the very humour of pride, which is a sickness of the soul. You are melancholy and sad, because you are forgotten and cast a side, into some corner; and because they make no account of you. You are Melancholy and sad, because you performed not such or such a thing with so much credit, and reputation, as you figured to yourself; but rather you conceive that you are disgraced. The business proved not as you desired; that sermon, that disputation, those Conclusions; but you rather think that you have lost opinion and credit by it, and therefore you are Melancholy and sad, yea and when you are to do any of these public things, the very fear of the success, and whether you shall gain or lose honor● by it, makes you afflicted and grieved. These are some of those things, which make the proud man Melancholy, and sad. But now the humble of hart, who desire no honour, or estimation, and contents himself with a mean place, is free from all this restlessness and disquiet, and enjoys great peace, according to the words of Christ our Lord, from whom that saint took this saying of his. If there be peace in this world, the humble of hart possesses it. And therefore though there were no way of spirit or perfection to be looked after, but only our own interest, and the keeping our hearts in peace, and quietness, even for this, and this alone, we were to procure Humility; for thus we should come to live, whereas the other is but to lead a kind of dying life.  
Saint Augustine to this purpose recountes a certain thing of himself, whereby he saith, that our Lord gave him to understand the blindness and misery, wherein he was. As I went one day (saith he) full of affliction and care in thought of a certain Oration which I was to recite before the Emperor, in his praise, whereof the greatest part was to be false: and myself procuring to be praised for my pains, even by them who knew that it would be false (that men may see how far the vanity, and folly and madness of the world, extends itself,) as I went I say with much thought hereof, and was full of trouble and care, how the business might succeed, and having as it were even a kind of fever upon me of consuming thoughts, it happened, that in one of the streets of Milan, there was a poor beggar who, after he had gotten well to eat, and drink, was playing tricks, and taking his pleasure, and in fine, was very merry and jolly. But when I saw this, I fell to sigh, and represent to my friends who were present there, to what misery our madness had made us subject. Since in all our troubles, and namely in those where in we found ourselves at that time, (carrying a great burden of infelicity upon our backs, and being wounded with the vexation of a thousand inordinate appetites and daily adding one burden to another) we did not so much as procure to seek any other thing, then only some secure kind of contentment, and joy, wherein that poor beggar had outstripped us already, who perhaps should never be able to overtake him therein. For that, which he had now obtained by means of a little alms namely the joy of temporal felicity, I still went seeking and hunting out, with so much solicitude and care. It is true, saith Saint Augustine that the poor man had no true joy, but it is alsoe true that the contentment which I sought, was more false than his; and in fine he then was merry, and I sad, he was secure, and I full of cares & fears. And if any man should ask me now, whether I had rather be glad or grieved, I should quickly make answer, that I had rather be glad; and if he should ask me yet again, whether I had rather be that beggar or myself, I should then rather choose to be myself, though I were then full of afflictions but yet for aught I know, I should have no reason to make this choice. For I ask what cause I can allege, for my being more learned gave me then no contentment at all; but only desired to give contentment to others, by my knowledge, and yet that, not by way of instructing them, but But without doubt, (saith he,) that poor man was more happy than I; not only because he was merry and jolly, when I was full of cogitations and cares, which drew even my very bowels out of my body: but because he had gotten his wine by lawful means, whereas I was hunting after vain glory by the way of telling lies.   

Of another kind of means, more efficatious, for the obtaining the virtue of Humility which is the exercise thereof. CHAPTER XXIII.  
We have already spoken of the first kind of means which are usually assigned for the obtaining of virtue, which is, certain reasons and considerations, both divine and humane. But yet the inclination which we have to this vice of pride is so very great, by reason that the desire of divinity. (Eritis sicut dij) remains so rooted in our hearts from our first parents; that no considerations at all, are sufficient to make us take our last leave, of the impulse and edge which we have to be honoured, and esteemed. It seems that: that happens to us herein, which occurrs to others who are full of fear. For how many reasons soever you give to persuade such persons, that they have no cause to fear such or such a thing, they yet make this answer, I see well that all you say is true and I would fain not fear, but yet I cannot obtain it of myself. For just so, some say in our case, I well perceive that all those reasons which you have brought against the opinion and estimation of the world, are good and true, and they convince that all is but mere vanity and wind, but yet with all this, I cannot by any means; Wynne so much of myself, as not to make some account thereof. I would fain do it if I could, but me think I know not how this kind of things, transports and disquiets me strangely. Well then, as no reasons and considerations, are sufficient to free the fearful man from fear, but that besides this, we must entreat him to put his hand to work, and bid him draw near, to feel, and touch those things, which seemed to him to be bugbears and sprights; and advice him to go sometime by night, and alone to the same places where he thought he saw them, that so he might find by experience, that there was nothing indeed, but that all was his imagination and apprehension, that so by this means he may lose his fear: so alsoe for the making us give over the desire of opinion and estimation of the world, the Saints affirm, that no reasons or considerations are sufficient: but that we must also use the means of action, and of the exercise of humility, for this is the principal and most efficatious means, which, we for our parts, ean employ, towards the obtaining of this virtue.  
S. Basill saith, that as sciences and arts are acquired by practice, so alsoe are the moral virtues. That a man may be a good Musician, a good Rethorition, a good Philosopher and a good workman in any kind, let him exercise himself herein, and he will grow perfect. And so alsoe, for obtaining the habit of Humility, and all the rest of the moral virtues, we must exercise ourselves in the acts thereof, and by this means we shall possess them. And if any man will tell me, that for the composing and moderating our passions, and the affections of the mind, and for the obtaining alsoe of virtue, the considerations, and reasons, the documents, and Counsels of holy Scripture are sufficient, he is deceived as S. Basill saith. Is similiter facit, ut si quis disceret aedificare, nec unquam aedificaret, & aes cundere, & quae didicisset, ea in actum numquam educeret. This would be like him who should learn to build a house, or coin money, and would never exercise himself therein; but that all should pass in hearing the documents, and rules of art, in which case it is certain, that he would never prove good workman. And as little will he grow to possess Humility, or any other virtue, who will not exercise himself therein. And in confirmation hereof, the Saint brings that of the Apostle S. Paul. Non enim auditores leg●s iusti sunt apud deum, sed factores legis, iustificabuntur. It is not enough for this purpose to hear many documents and reasons, but they must be put in execution. For practice conduces more to this business than all the speculation in the world. And though it be most true, that all virtue and every thing which is good, must come to us from the hand of God, and that we cannot compass it by our own strength; yet the same lord, who is to give it, is pleased that we should help ourselves, by our own endeavours.  
Saint Augustine upon those words of Christ our Lord: Si ergo ego lavi pedes vestros, Dominus & magister, & vos debetis, alter alterius lavare pedes, saith, that this is that, which Christ our Lord intended to teach us, by this example, of washing his desciples feet: Hoc est beat Petre, quod nesciebas, quando fieri non sinebas, hoc tibi postea sciendum promisit: Ecce ipsum est postea. This is that O B. Peter which thou didst not know when thou wouldst not consent that Christ should wash thy feet, He pr●mised that thou shouldst know it afterward, and now, that afterward is come, and now thou shalt understand it. And it is, that if we will obtain the virtue of Humility, we must exercise ourselves in the exterior acts thereof. Exemplum enim dedi vobis, ut quemadmodum ego feci vobis, ita & vos faciatis. For I have given you an example, to the end that you may do as I have done. Didicimus fratres humilitatem ab excel●o faciamus invicem humiles, quod similiter fecit excelsus. Since the omnipotent, and sovereign Lord, humbled himself: since the sun of God, abased and employed himself in mean, and lowly exercises, washing the feet of his disciples, serving his Blessed Mother and the holy joseph, and being subject and obedient to them in what soever they commanded, let us learn of them & exercise ourselves in humble and mean employments, and thus we shall come to obtain the virtue of Humility. This is alsoe that which Saint Bernard saith. Humiliatio via est ad humilitatem, sicut patientia ad pacem, sicut lectio ad scientiam. The humiliation of the exterior man, is the way and means, to obtain the virtue of Humility, as patience is, for the obtaining peace, and reading or study for the obtaining knowledge. Si virtutem appetis Humilitatis, viam non refugias humiliationis, nam si non poteris humiliari, non poteris ad humilitatem provehi. And therefore if you will obtain the virtue of Humility, do not fly from the exercise of humiliation: for if you say, that either you cannot, or will not humble or abase yourselves; as little have you a mind to obtain the virtue of Humility.  
Saint Augustine proves it very well, and gives the reason, why this exercise of humiliation, is so useful, important, and necessary for the obtaining of true humility of hart, Cum enim ad pedes fratris inclinatur corpus, etiam in cord ipso vel excitatur, vel si iam inerat, confirmatur, ipsius humilitatis affectus. The interior & exterior man are so interlaced and united together, and the one depends so much upon the other, that when the body is humbled and abased, the hart is stirred up towards the love of Humility. That humbling myself before my brother, and kissing his feet, hath some what in it; that poor and mean coat, that low and base office, hath I know not what which goes engendering, and breeding Humility in the hart, and if it be there already, it conserves and increases it. And thus Saint Dorotheus answers this question, how a man with a poor and mean coat, which belongs to the body, may come to obtain the virtue of humility which inhabits the soul? For it is certain, saith he, that the body in many cases, gives a good or ill disposition to the soul. And so we see the soul hath one kind of disposition, when the body is well, and an other when it is sick; O when it is full fed, and another when it is very hungry. Now in the self same manner, the soul vests itself with one kind of inclination, when a man is seated upon a throne, or upon a horse richly adorned, and with another, when he sits upon the ground, or is riding upon a jade; and one kind of inclination, when a man is seated upon a throne, or upon a horse richly adorned, and with another, when he sits upon the ground, or is riding upon a jade; and one kind of inclination it hath, when he is set out in sumptuous , and another when he is but covered with a poor coat.  
Saint Basil also noted this very well; and saith, that as gallant and shining attire, lifts up the hearts of worldly men, and engenders in them, certain fumes of vanity of proper estimation and pride, so doth a poor and mean habit, awake in the hart of Religious men, and of the servants of God, an inclination to Humility, and it breeds a disesteem of ones self; and it makes men endure better, to be despised. And the saint adds further, That as worldly men desire rich, and glorious , that so they may be the better known, and the more honoured, and esteemed, thereby; so the good servants of God, and such as are truly humble, desire to be poorly and meanly clad, that so they may be valued the less: and especially, because they conceive themselves to find much help therein, towards their conservation, and augmentation in true Humility. Amongst all the exterior humiliations, that of poor and mean clothing is one of the chief, and for this, we find it to have been so much used, by such as are truly humble. We read in the life of Father Franciscus Xavier, that he ever went very poorly clad, to conserve himself the better in Humility, and fearing least some little estimation, or presumption, might mingle and wrap itself up in good , as it uses to happen many thymes.  
It will alsoe appear by another reason, that towards the purchase of Humility of hart, or any other interior virtue, the exterior exercise of the same virtue doth profit much, because the will is much more moved thereby, then by bare desires. For it is clear that the present object moves us more, than the absent; as we see that we are moved more by seeing things then by hearing of them; and from hence the Proverb came, That which the eyes see not, the hart rues not. So that the exterior thing which is put in practice, moves the will much more, because the object is there present, then mere apprehensions and interior desires do, where the object is not present, but only in the conceit, and imagination. One great affront well endured with a good will, shall breed more of the virtue of patience in your soul, than four affronts will do, when you have but the only desire without the deed. And the spending of one day, in exercising some mean and low office, and the wearing some poor and tottered coat some one day, will help your soul more to the virtue of humility, than many days of mere desires will do. We have experience every day, that a man hath repugnance to perform one of the ordinary mortifications which we use; and within two or three days after. He hath begun, to do them, he finds no difficulty therein at all, and yet before he did them, he had conceived many purposes, and desires thereof, and yet still they were not strong enough to overcome the difficulty. And for the same reason doth the society use certain public mortifications, as we read to have been done by many SS. because when once a man hath performed one of these, he gets the mastery over himself, for other things wherein he found difficulty before. And to this we may add, that which is said by the scholedivines, that when the interior act is accompanied by the exterior, it is commonly more efficatious, and intense. So that, it helps much in all respects, towards the obtaining of the virtue of Humility, to employ ourselves exteriorly about objects which are mean and base.  
And because virtue is conserved, and augmented by the same means, whereby it is obtained, therefore as the exterior exercise of Humility is necessary for the obtaining the virtue of Humility, it will alsoe be necessary for the custody and increase thereof; where upon it will follow, that this exercise is very important for all and not only for beginners, but for others alsoe, who ear great proficients, as we alsoe said when we were treating of Mortification. And so our Father, in the Constitutions and Rules, recommends it much to us all in these words: Magnopere conseri devotè quo ad fieri poterit, ea munera obire, in quibus magis exercetur humilitas, & Charitas. It will greatly help that we perform those offices with all possible devotion, wherein Humility and Charity are exercised most. And in another place he saith: Temptations are to be prevented by their contraries, as when there is opinion, that such a one is inclined to pride, he must be exercised in such mean things, as may be likely to help him ●oward● Humility; and so in other ill inclinations. And yet, in another place. As for mean and base employments, men ought readily to accept of those wherein they find most repugnance, when soever they shall be so ordained. So that finally I say, that these two things Humility, and Humiliation, must help one another; and from the interior Humility which consists in despising himself, and desiring to be held by others in small account, exterior humiliation is to grow, that the man may exteriorly show himself to be the same, that interiorly he took himself to be. Namely, that as the humble man is interiorly contemptible in his own eyes, and holds himself to be unworthy of all honour, so must treat himself alsoe exteriorly; that the exterior Works which he performs, may visibly declare the interior Humility, which is in his heart. Choose you the lowest place, as Christ our Lord advised; despise not to treat with persons who are poor, and mean, be glad of the most inferior employments; and this very exterior humiliation which springs from the interior, will give increase to that very fountain alsoe, from which it springs.   

The Doctrine formerly delivered is confirmed by diverse examples. CHAPTER XXIV.  
PEtrus Cluniacensus recounts, that in the Order of the Carthusians there was a Religious man of holy, and unspotted life, whom our lord had conserved so chaste, so pure, & so entire, that he had never suffered any illusion, even in his sleep. But being come to the hour of his death, and all the Religious assisting at the bed side of the sick man, the Prior who was alsoe there, commanded him to tell them, what that thing in particular was, whereby he might conceive himself to have pleased our lord most in the whole course of his life. He made him this answer. Father you command me a hard thing, & I should by no means tell you, what you ask, if I were not obliged to it by Obedience. From my infancy, I have been much afflicted and persecuted by the devil; but according to the multitude of the troubles and tribulations which I sustained, my soul was still refreshed, by those many comforts which Christ our lord, and the glorious virgin Mary his most Blessed mother, imparted to me. I therefore being one day much afflicted and even overwrought by great temptations of the devil, this sovereign virgin, appeared, to me, and upon her presence, the devils fled, and all their temptations were at an end. And after she had comforted and encouraged me to persever▪ and proceed in the way of virtue and perfection, she said thus to me. To the end that thou mayst the better do that which I have advised, I will fetch thee in particular, out of the treasures of my son, three ways or exercises of Humility; wherein if thou employ thyself, thou wilt highly please God, and shalt overcome thine enemies. Namely that thou humble thyself in these three things, in thy food, in thy clothing, and in the offices or duties which thou art to discharge. So that in thy food, thou must desire and procure the worst; and in thy clothing, the most mean and course; and as for thy employments or offices, endeavour thou ever, to get the most base and mean, esteeming it both for a great honour and profit for thee, to exercise thyself in such as are most refused and despised; and which other men disdain, and from which they fly: and having said thus much she vanished. For my part I imprinted the power, and efficacy of those words of hers in my hart: that so from that time forward, I might do as I had been taught by her, and my soul hath found much good by it.  
Cassianus relates of the Abbott Pap●●nisius that being a monk in Egypt, and Abbot of the Monastery he was much esteemed, & honoured by the Monks, both as a Father & a Master, for his venerable old age, and his admirable life. But he being troubled With receiving so much honour, & desiring to see himself humbled, despised, and forgotten, went secretly one night from his Monastery, and putting on a secular habit, went to a certain Monastery of Pachomius, Which was very far from his: and then flourished much in all kind of sanctity. And this he did to the end that being unknown, they might treat him as a novice, and might esteem little of him. This holy man stayed there many days at the gate, both prostrate and upon his knees, before all the Monks, who of purpose seemed to contemn him; and cast it in his teeth, that now, when he was even tired with enjoying the world, he came in his old age, to serve God, when it might seem, that he was rather drawn by necessity, and to get bread to eat: and that they might rather serve him, then be served by him. But in fine, they received him, giving him charge of the Orchard of the Monastery, and assigning him a Superior, whom he was in all things to obey. But still, when he had performed his own office with all exactness, and Humility, he did moreover procure to do all those things alsoe, which others refused, as being the most troublesome of the house. Yea, and not contenting himself with this, he would be rising secretly in the nigh, & putting the whole house in order, the best he could, without being seen by any of the rest, who would be wondering at it in the morning, as not knowing by whom it had been done. He remained thus three years, & was very glad of the occasion which then was fallen into his hand, of labouring hard, and being little esteemed: for this was the scope of his whole desire. But his own Monks being much afflicted for the absence of such a Father, went some of them several ways, and having sought him three years, and being then full of fear, that they should never find him out, behold one of them passed at length by that Monastery of Pachomius, with little opinion to meet with him, and yet in fine he discovered, and knew the Saint, as he was manuring and dunging the soil. He cast himself instantly at his feet, and they who saw it, were amazed thereat; and so they were much more, when they knew particularly who he was, for both the man, and his actions, had before, been known to them by fame. They begged pardon of him, but the old saint bewailed his misfortune, in having been so discovered, by the envy of the devil, and in having now lost the treasure which formely he had found there. They led him though it was perforce, to his Monastery, where he was received with incomparable joy, and from that time forward, they looked to him with extraordinary diligence. But yet, through the great desire he had to be despised, and unknown, and through the delight and gust he had taken, in that humble manner of life, which he led in the other Monastery, all this was not able to keep him from getting out another night, he having formerly agreed with one, that he would pass by ship in to Palestine, which was very fare distant from thence. This accordingly was done, and he arrived at the Monastery of Cassianus. But our lord who ever takes care to exalt the humble, ordained that he should alsoe be discovered by some Monks of his, who went to visit those holy places, and the Blessed old man was much the more honoured for these things.  
In the lives of the Fathers, it is related of a certain Monk, that having lived a long time in the solitude of a desert, in great penance and contemplation, a thought came once into his mind, that now he was grown to be perfect and he put himself into prayer, and said thus to God. S●ew me O lord, what I want, towards perfection. And God being resolved to humble his thoughts, made him hear a voice which said thus to him. Go thy ways to such a person (who was a man that kept hogs thereby) and do that which he shall tell thee: and at the same time it was revealed to that other, that the Hermitt was coming to speak with him, and that himself was to tell the other, that he must take his whip, and look to his hogs. The old Hermitt came, and after salutations he said thus. I greatly desire to serve God, and therefore tell me, for Charity, what I should do in order to this end. The other asked him then if he would do what he bad him to which the old man answered, That he would. Then said the other, take this whip and go and look to those hogs, The old man obeyed him, because he desired to serve God, and to obtain what he wanted of perfection. And so he went with his whip, and kept hogs, and they who knew him, who were very many, (by reason of the same of his sanctity in those parts) seeing him keep hogs said thus: Do you see how this old Hermitt, of whom we have heard so great things, is turned a mad man, & goes looking to hogs. His great fasts and his much penance have, as it seems, dried his brain, and put him out of his wits. The good old man who heard them say these things, took it all with much patience and Humility, and so continued some days. But God seeing that Humility of his and that he took those affronts and scorns in good part, commanded him to return to his former place.  
In the Pratum Spirituale, it is written of a certain holy bishop, who leaving his bishopric, and his honour, came all alone to the holy City of jerusalem, through a desire to be held in small account, because he was utterly unknown there. And so putting on poor , he hyres himself out to the public works, which were there on foot, at that time, and maintained himself by the labour of his hands. There was then a holy Conde called Efremius, a pious and a prudent man, who took care about the reparation of the public buildings of the City. This man, diverse times, saw the holy Bishop sleep upon the bare ground, and saw also a pillar of fire, which rose from him, and reached up to heaven, at which he marvelled much, when he observed him to be so poor a man, and so foul with the dirt of the building, & so over grown with hair and beard, and who lived in so mean & contemptible an employment. At length, he could not contain himself, but called him one day a part, and asked him what he was. The Saint told him, that he was one of the poor of the City, and that he spent his time in that labour, as not being able to maintain himself otherwise. But this answer did not satisfy the Conde, the will of God being such, for the honour of his servant, through the discovery of his Humility, and so he persisted in ask him often the same questions, with so great instance, that at length he made him discover himself, for so he did, upon two Conditions which the Conde accepted. The one, that whilst he lived, the Conde should never discover what he meant to tell him; and the other that he should not ask him his name. Only he told him that he was a bishop, and that he had fled to that place, that so he might fly from honour and estimation.  
S. john Climacus recounts of a certain principal man of Alexandria, who came to be received in a certain Monastery. And when the Abbot perceived him, both by his aspect, and other signs, to be a man of harsh condition, and to be haughty, swollen up by the vanities of the world, he resolved to lead him on by the secure way of Humility, and then said thus to him. If really you be resolved to take upon you the yoke of Christ, you must permits yourself to be exercised in all such things as Obedience shall think fit to impose. To this he answered; that as the iron in the hand of the Smith, is subject to what soever he will do therewith, So will I, saith he, O Father, submit myself to what soever you shall command me. I will then saith the other that thou continue at the gate of the Monastery, and that thou cast thyself down at the feet of all them who either enter in or go out, and desire them to pray to God for thee, because thou art a great sinner. He performed it punctually, and when he had continued seven years in this exercise, and obtained great Humility, by this means, the Abbot resolved to take him into the Monastery, in company of the rest, and to make him Priest as one who deserved that honour. But he employing many intercessors, and in particular Saint john Climacus himself to the contrary, he at length obtained of the Superior, that he should leave him in the same exercise, and place wherein he had formerly lived, till he should finish his course; as signifying, or at least conjecturing, that now the day of his death was not fa●r of. And indeed, just so it proved for ten days after this, our lord was pleased to take him to himself. And seven days after that, God alsoe took the porter of the same Monastery, to whom the former had promised, whilst he was yet alive, that if, when he were dead, he should have any power with Almighty God, he would procure that the other might come quickly to keep him company, and so it fell out. The same saint affirms moreover, that when the man was yet alive, and bestowed himself upon that exercise of Humility, he asked him upon what he was wont most to think, at that time, to this he answered that his exercise was, to hold himself unworthy of the conversation of them in the Monastery, and of the sight and society of the Fathers; yea and even to lift up his eyes, to look upon them.  
It is recorded in the lives of the Fathers, that the Abbot john told the story of a certain Philosopher, who had a scholar that committed a fault, and the Philosopher said thus to him. I will not forgive thee unless thou suffer injuries from others, for the space of three years. The scholar did see, and then went for pardon; but the Philosopher said the second time, I will not pardon thee, unless thou reward such as do thee wrong, for the space of other three years. He did so, and then the Philosopher told him, that now he must go to his studies at Athens, & so he went. Then another Philosopher there, putting certain affronts upon such as came in to hear him the first time, to see if they would have patience, and this scholar falling out in a laughter, after a scorn which the other had put upon him: he said, What, dost thou laugh whilst I am using thee ill? To this the scholar answered, For three yares together I gave presents to such as did me wrong and finding now, that I am ill used without cause, would you not have me laugh. The Philosopher bad him then come in, & said that he was fit to learn wisdom. Where upon the Abbot john concluded that patience was the gate, whereby men entered into wisdom.  
Father Mafeus, in the life which he writes of our B. Father Ignatius, relates that our Father going once in pilgrimage from Venice, to Milan in company of Father Lainez with  upon their backs, which were old and patched; a certain poor Shipheard, seeing them, drew near, and began to laugh and make sport at them. Our Father, stood still with much joy, but Father Lainez ask him why he went not on, and why he left not the boy, our Father ansueared thus. Why should we deprive this boy of that contentment, and delight which he is takeing; and so he stayed still, that the youth might have his fill in looking, and laughing and resting at him: he receiving more gust therein, then worldly men are wont to do, in acquiring estimation and honour.  
It Is recounted in the life of our Father Franciscus Borgia, that going once upon the way, with Father Bustamante, they came to a poor house, where there was no bed, but only paliasses of Straw. The Fathers went to their rest: and Father Bustamante, both by reason of his age, and through his difficulty of respiration, did nothing in effect, all night, but cough and spit, and thinking that he had spit upon the wall, he spit indeed upon Father Borgia, and he did it, many times, in his face. The Father spoke not a word, nor did he turn himself of stir. But in the morning, when Father Bustamante saw by day, what he had done in the night, was extremely out of countenance, and ashamed. And Father Borgia was no less contented, and glad, and to consort the other said: Father be not troubled for what you did, for I can assure you, there was nothing in the whole Room, more fit to be spit upon, then I.   

Of the exercise of Humility, which we have in Religious houses. CHAPTER XXV.  
THe blessed Saint Basill preferring, and exalting the life which is led in Monasteries, above that other which is led alone, gives this for one of his reasons. That besides that the solitary life, is full of danger, it is also less sufficient than the Monastical, for the obtaining of the virtues, which are necessary, in regard that it wants the use and exercise thereof. For how shall he exercise Humility, who hath no man to whom he may humble himself? and how can he exercise the virtue of mercy, and Charity, who hath no intercourse, or communication with any other? and how can he exercise patience who hath no man to resist his will? But now, the Religious man who life's in community, hath great means for the obtaining of all necessary virtue, through the manyfould occasion, which he hath to live in the exercise of them all. Of Humility because he hath some body to whom he may humble, and to whom he may subject himself. Of Charity, because he hath some body, upon whom he may show it. Of Patience because he who life's in company of many, will not fail to have occasions for the exercise thereof, and in the same manner, might we go discoursing of all the other virtues. We who are Religious, are much bound to our lord, for so great a favour as he hath done in bringing us hither, where there is so great disposition, & so many means for the obtaining of virtue, for in fine, it is the very school of perfection.  
But as for us, we have a particular obligation herein; for besides the means which are common to us with others, he hath given us some, which are very particular to ourselves, & especially for the obtaining the virtue of Humility, even by our very Rules, and Constitutions. So that if we keep our Rules well, we shall be very humble; because therein we shall have very sufficient exercise, of that virtue. Such a means is that, which our Rule, and Constitutions command, and which is so principal, and important, for the good of the Society, namely to lay our whole conscience open to our Superior, giving him account of all our temptations, passions, and ill inclinations, and in fine of all our defects and miseries. And though it be true, that this was ordained for other ends, as we will show afterward in the right place, yet there can be no doubt, but that it is a great exercise of Humility. Such is that alsoe which is required of us, by that other Rule which saith, To the end that we may profit more in spirit and especially for our greater humbling, and a basin, we all must be content, that all our errors, faults, and whatsoever defects which are known or noted to be in us may be manifested to our Superiors, by any one who shall come to know them otherwise then by Confession. And note that reason which is given there, namely for our greater humbling and abaseing, for this is that, whereof we were speaking. If you desire to acquire true Humility, you will be glad that all your faults be manifested to your Superiors: and so the good and humble Religious man, goes to his Superior, to tell his faults himself, and to desire penance for them, and procures to be the first, of whom his Superior may know them. And not only have we this in the Society, but a fare greater exercise of Humility. For you declare your faults publicly, before all; to the end that they may disesteem, & despise you, for that is the end of this exercise; & not that they should hold you to be humble, and mortified; for this would not be an act, or exercise of Humility, but of Pride. With this spirit, are you alsoe to accept and desire reprehensions; and that not only in secret, but in publicque, and before all, because, for as much as is on your part, you are to be glad that they do it, in very good earnest; and that they may think it as they say it, and may hold you for such. And generally, the use and exercise of all the exterior penances, and mortifications, which are used in the Society, assist much towards the obtaining, and conserving of true Humility; as namely the kissing of feet, the eating under the table, or else upon the knees; or else lying prostrate, cross the door of the Refectory, etc.  
If these things be done with that spirit which is required, they will be of great use, to the getting and keeping of true Humility. When you are put to eat upon the ground, you must do it with an interior knowledge of yourself, that you deserve not to sit with your brethren: and when you kiss their feet, that you deserve not to kiss the ground whereon they tread: and when you prostrate yourselves, that you deserve that every one of them should tread upon your mouth; and you must also desire and wish, that every one may think so of you. And it will be very well, that when any of you perform any of these mortifications, you actuate interiorly, upon these considerations; as that holy Monk did, who continued seven years at the gate of that Monastery, whereof we spoke in the last Chapter: for by this means they will be of much profit to you, and will breed Humility in the very roots of the hart. But on the other side, if you do than with out spirit, and only with the exterior man, they will do you little good. For as Saint Paul saith, Corporalis exercitatio, ad modicum utilis est. It is to do things but by way of compliment, and for custom, when they are only done exteriorly, without spirit, and with out procuring to obtain that end, which is desired thereby. If you obtain so much of yourselves, as to kiss the feet of your brethren, and to prostrate yourselves to the end that they may tread upon you, and afterward you will yet speak inwardly and harshly to them, the one suits not well with the other, and it is a sign, that you did the former either for compliment or with hypocrisy.  
These and many other exercises of Humility have we in the Society, according to our Rule and Constitutions. And I thought fit to bring them here to memory, though we pointed at them before to another purpose: that so we may still place our eyes, upon them, and let this be that, wherein we chiefly exercise Humility. For that wherein a Religious man is chiefly to exercise an express virtue and mortification, is the exact observing of the Rules, and Constitutions of his own Order, thus in that, wherein your profit and perfection consists. And if you have not virtue, to put those things in execution, concerning Humility, and mortification, to which you are obliged by your Institute, and Rule, whatsoever you have else, is worth nothing. And the like we may say alsoe of every Christian; namely, that since the principal cause why he hath need of Humility and mortification, is for the performing of the law of God, if he have it not, to this end, it will do him little or no good. If he have not Humility and mortification, enough, to confess a sin which may put him to shame; but that through bashfulness, or to speak more plainly, through pride, he will break so principal a commandment, what profit will he reap by what soever he either hath or doth, since for this alone, he shall be damned. So may we alsoe say, in some sort, of the Religious man. If you have not Humility enough to discover your conscience to your Superior, & to comply with so principal a Rule as this, for what serves your Humility, and mortification? If you cannot yet endure, that another should acquaint the Superior with any fault of yours, to the end that he may reform you, where is your Humility? If you want Humility, wherewith to take a reprehension, and the penance of performing some poor, and mean charge, and to be incorporated in that very degree, into which the Society inclines to put you, for what serves Humility, or indifferency, and to what end should your Superiors desire it? And thus every Religious man may specify in the particular Rules of his Order, and every other man, in all those particulars, which his condition or vocation may require.   

That we must take heed of speaking any such words, as may redound to our own praise. CHAPTER XXVI.  
THe Saints and Masters of spiritual life, Saint Basil, Saint Gregory, Saint Bernard and others also advice us to take heed, with great care, of speaking any words, which may redound to our own estimation or praise; according to that which the holy Tobias counselled his son. Superbiam nunquam, in sensu tuo, aut in tuo verbo, dominari permittas. Never suffer pride to have dominion, either over thy hart, or over thy words. Saint Bernard ponders that of Saint Paul very well to this purpose: Parco autem, ne quis me existimet, supra id quod videt in me. The Apostle had formerly spoken great things of himself, and so it was fit at that time that he should do, for the good of hearers and for the greather glory of God; and he might yet have said greater things, since he had b●ne rapt up, into the third heaven, where he had seen, and wnderstood more, than the thongue could speak; but I forbear, saith he, to speak thereof, lest otherwise any man should think more than he sees, and hears of me. Saint Bernard saith: Quam pulchre dixit parco. Non parcit sibi arrogans: non parcit sibi superbus, non cupidus vanae gloriae, & iactator actuum suorum: qui vel sibi arrogat quod est, vel mentitur quod non est. O how well he said. I forbear or pardon that, for this time. The proud or arrogant man, forbears not such things, for he suffers no occasion to pass, wherein he may magnify himself: yea and some times he adds, and saith more than is, that so he may be esteemed the more. Solus qui verè humilis est, parcit animae suae; qui ne putetur quod non est, semper quantum in se est, vult nesciri quod est. Only the man who is truly humble, let's these occasions pass: and to the end he may be sure, that they shall not ascribe more to him then that which is true, he conceals that which is true. The saint descends more particularly into this subject and saith: Loquens nihil dicat, unde multum eruditus, multum ve religiosus possit putari. You must not say any thing, whereby you may seem more learned, or to be a man of piety and prayer. And generally, you must ever take heed of saying any thing, which may redound in any kind, to your own praise, for it is very dangerous, though you could say it with much truth, & though it might be matter of aedification; and though you may think it be to a good end, and for the profit of another, yet it suffices that it is to your own praise, to keep you from speaking it. You must ever walk with great care concerning this, lest otherwise by this means, you lose the good which perhaps you did.  
Saint Bonaventure saith, Nunquam de scientia vel de seculi statu se iactent. You must never speak word which may give others to understand, that you have eminent parts, or that you were formerly of some account in the world. It looks very ill favouredly in a Religious man, to value himself by the nobility, and riches of his friends; for all these pedigrees, and states, are no better than a little wind: and, as one asked, Do you know for what Nobility is good? the other answered very well, To be despifed, as wealth is. That whereof we make account here, is the virtue of Humility which you have, this is that which we esteem: for what you were, or were not before you came hither, is all but air, and he who values himself by these things, or makes account thereof, in a Religious state, shows abundantly his little Spirit, and how vain a hart he hath, Such a man as this, hath not yet forsaken, or despised the world. S. Basil saith; Qui natus est ex spiritu iuxta domini vocem, ac potestatem, accepit fieri filius dei, eum cognationis secundum carnem pudet. He who is borne by another new birth and hath contracted a spiritual and divine kindred with God and received a power to become his son, grows ashamed of that other carnal kindred, and lays it utterly a side.  
Who soever the man be, words of praise sound ill out of his own mouth. And so the proverb saith, Laus in ore proprio vilescit. And the wiseman saith better, Laudet te alienus, & non os tuum, extraneus & non labia tua. But in the mouth of a Religious man they do much worse, as being so contrary to that which he professes, and so he grows to be slightly thought of; and disesteemed by means of that very thing, whereby he meant to be honoured. S. Ambrose upon those words of the Prophett. Vide humilitatem meam & eripe me, Behold, O lord, my humility, and deliver me, saith, that although a man be sick, and poor, and of mean condition, yet if he grow not proud, nor prefer himself before any other, Ipse se humilitate commendat. By humility he makes himself to be esteemed, and beloved. So that Humility, supplies all defects; and on the other side, though a man be very rich, and noble, and powerful: though he be very learned, and excel in abilities, and good parts, yet if with all, he boast thereof, and look big upon it, Insolentia sibi vilis est. By this, he lessens and a bases himself, and grows to be disesteemed, and despised because he grows to be held proud.  
The history of the Abbot Arsenius recounts, that although he had been so illustrious in the world, and so eminent in learning, for he had been the instructor, or Master, of the Sons of the Emperor Theodosius, and of Arcadius, and Honorius who alsoe came both, to be Emperors, yet after he once became a Monk, no word was ever heard to fall from him, which might savour of greatness, or which gave to understand, that he had learning, but he conversed and lived among the other monckes, with so great Humility, and simplicity of hart, as if he had never known any thing; and he alsoe asked questions of the other monks, concerning the most ordinary things of spirit affirming that in this sublime science, he deserved not to be their disciple. And it is related of the B. S. Jerome, that he was of most noble extraction, and yet we find not in all his works, that he hath so much as insinuated any thing thereof.  
Saint Bonaventure gives a very good reason against this vanity, and it is this. Know, that there can hardly be any good thing in you, worthy of praise, which breaks not, and shines not out to others, so that they may understand and know it; and if you use silence, and conceal it, you shall gain more upon them, and be more worthy of praise, both for the virtue itself, and for your hiding it; but if you will needs become the publisher thereof, and will needs serve it out in a full dish, they will make sport at it; And whereas before they were edified, and you esteemed, they now grow to vilify, and despise you. Virtue is in this, like musk, which the more you hide it the stronger smell it gives; but if you carry it open, it loses his scent.  
Saint Gregory tells, how a certain holy Abbot called Eleutherius, being once in journey, arrived at night, at a certain Monastery of Nuns, & they lodged him in a certain house, not fare of, where there was a young man possessed, and tormented by the devil, who, for that night, was made companion to the Abbot. The morning being come, the nun's caused him to be asked, whether the young man had had any accident that night; to which he answered, No. They related to him then, that he was nightly tormented by the devil, and they besought him with much instance, that he would take him with him to his Monastery: The old man condescended to their suit, & when the young man had been a long time in the Convent, and that his ancient enemy presumed not any more to approach him, the hart of the old man was touched with a little inordinate joy, and vain contentment, for the young man's recovery; and talking with his Monks he said thus to them. The devil made himself sport with those Nuns, by tormenting this young man; but since he came to the Monastery of the servants of God, he hath not presumed once to touch him. But even in the speaking of these words the young man gr●w instantly to be tormented again by the devil, in the presence of them all. When the holy old man saw this, he began to weep bitterly, considering that his vain glory, had been the cause of that sad accident. But the Monckes comforted him and said, that not a man of them would eat one bit of bread, till they had obtained the recovery of the young man. And so prostratinge then themselves all in prayer, they rose not till the sick man was restored to his health. Whereby it may be seen, how greatly God abhors such words, as have any little smack of a man's own praise, although they be but said in jest, for entertainment and discourses sake, as appears by that which this Saint said.   

How we are to exercise ourselves in prayer, in this second degree of Humility. CHAPTER XXVII.  
Our Father in the Constitutions, sets down that Rule, which is so principal and of so great pefection, whereof we speak before; namely, that as worldly men love and desire honour, fame, and estimation in the world, with great affection, so they who walk in spirit, and seriously desire to follow Christ our Lord must love and desire, the direct contrary, after a most earnest manner desiring to endure injuries false testimonies, and to be held for foolish people (so that themselves give no occasion thereof) to the end that they may imitate Christ jesus our Lord & Creator, in some poor manner. And it commands, that all they who have a mind to enter into the Society, be asked first whether t●ey have these desires or no. A harsh thing it seems really, for a Novice, who is but newly cut of From the world, and who comes bleeding fresh, as we use to say, must be examined by a Rule so straight as this; but the while, we see great perfection, which our Institute requires at our hands. It will have men to be truly taken off, from themselves, and to be entirely dead to the world. But because this is hard, and of much perfection, our Father adds, that if any man, through humane veakenes and misery, do not feel so ardent desires thereof, as hath been here expressed, he shall then be asked, if at least, he desire to have those desires. And with this, and with having a purpose to bear them with patience, when the occasion shall be offered, it contents itself. For this is a good disposition for a man to learn, and profit by: and it is enough, that a prentice begin with a desire, to learn the trade, & apply himself so it, for by this means he will compasso it. A state of Religion, is the school of virtue, and perfection: enter in with this desire, and by the grace of our Lord, you shall obtain it.  
Let us therefore begin with this exercise from hence forth, and let us do it by degrees. You say that you find not desires in yourselves, to be contemned, and despised, but yet that you desire to have them. Begin therefore from thence, to exercise yourselves in prayer, towards this virtue of Humility: and say with the Prophet, Concupivit anima mea, desiderare iustificationes tuas in omni tempore. My soul desires O Lord to desire thy iustifications at all times. But how fare do I see myself from having those lively, and inflamed desires, which those great Saints, and those men so truly humble had, to be despised by the world? I much desire to arrive at least to have desire of these desires. I desire to desire it. You are in a good way. This is a very good beginning, & disposition for obtaining it; insist & persever in prayer, and beg of our Lord that he will soften your hearts, & detain yourselves some days herein; for these desires of ours, are very pleasing to our Lord, and he harkens to them with a good will. Desiderium pauperum exaudivit Dominus; preparationem cordis eorum, audivit auris tua. God will soon give you a desire to suffer some what for his love, and to do some penance for your sins; and when he shall have given it, upon what can you better employ this desire of suffering, and by what can you do more penance, then by being despised and vilifyed, for his love, in recompense of your sins. As David said, when Semei cursed and affronted. Let him alone, for perhaps our Lord may be pleased to receive this contempt and these affronts, in discount of my sins, and this would be a great happiness to me.  
But now when our Lord shall do you the favour to make you feel these desires in yourselves, to be under valued, and despised, that so you may imitate Christ our Lord; you must not yet conceive, that then your business is at an end, & that you have already acquired the virtue of Humility; but rather you must then make account, that you have but begun to plant, and settle it in your soul. And so you must procure, not to pass on lightly, uviht these desires, but to detain yourselves therein, at great leisure; and to exercise yourselves long upon them, in your prayer, till such time as that the same desires grow to be such and so efficatious, as to reach to be deeds. And when you shall be arrived so fare, as to conceive that you bear those occasions well, which use to present them selves; yet you must know, that there are several degrees, & steps, in the same work, w ereby you must rise; towards the perfection of Humility. For the first step is, that you exercise yourselves in bearing all those occasions, which may be offered for your contempt, with patience: wherein there will be some what to do, & that perhaps for a good while. After this, you must pass on, and not stay nor grow weary, till you come to rejoice in being affronted, and till you feel as much contentment, & gust therein, as worldly men do in all the honours, riches, and pleasures of the earth: according to that of the Prophett: In via testimoniorii tuorum delectatus sum, sicut in omnibus divitiis. If we desire any thing in good earnest we are naturally glad when we have obtained it, and if we desire it much, we rejoice much: and if little, little. Take you therefore this, for a sign, whereby to see whether you seriously desire to be little esteemed or no, and whether or Noah, you go increasing, in the ver●ue of Humility, and so also in the other virtues.  
To the end that we may profit the more, by this means in our Prayer, and that t erein, this virtue may imprint itself the more deeply in our hearts we must go descending to those particular, and hard cases which may ocurre: and we must animate ourselves, and actuate upon them, as if we had them present then: insisting, and deteyinge ourselves therein, till at length no one thing may be able to put itself before us which we cannot make plain and smooth. For by this means, vice will come to be rooted up, and virtue will be sinking, and incorporating itself into the very root of the hart, & perfecting itself daily more and more. That is a very good comparison to this purpose: which the Goldsmith's use for the refining of God: they melt it, in the chrysuble and when it is melted they cast a grain of Sublimate in to it, and then the gold gins to boil up with great height and fury, till the Sublimate be spent: for then the gold gins to be quiet. The gold smith comes again, and casts in another grain of Sublimate and the gold boyles up again but not with so much strength as before, and when that Sublimate is also spent, the gold lies still. They cast in Sublimate a third time, and the gold boyles again, but gently now, and finally he casts in more Sublimate the sowerth time; but then the gold makes no noise or alteration at all, any more than if they had cast nothing in, and then the gold is perfectly refined, and this is the sign thereof.  
Now this is that very thing which we must be doing in prayer; namely, to cast in a grain of Sublimate, imagining that such a particular mortification or contempt, is then offering itself to us: and if it begin to trouble and sting us, we must detain ourselves therein, till the heat and fervour of our prayer, consume that grain of Sublimate, and till we be able to make head against it and find our hearts quiet, and reposed therein. And the next day cast in another grain of Sublimate, imagining that some other matter of difficulty, and of much mortification, and humiliation is offering itself; and if still your nature be troubled and offer to boil up, detain yourselves therein, till it be spent and you be quieted. Then cast in another, and yet another grain, as occasion serves, and when now the Sublimate makes no noise, nor breeds no trouble to you, but that what soever occasion may be offered and represented to you, you still remain with much quietness, and peace, the gold is then purified, and refined, and this may serve you for a sign, of having obtained the perfection of this virtue.   

In what manner we are to make a particular examination of our consciences, concerning the virtue of Humility. CHAPTER XXVIII.  
THE Particular examination, as we have said already in the proper place, is to be of some one only thing: for thus will this means be more efficatious and have greater force than if we carried over many things together, and it is therefore called particular because it concerns, one only thing. And this is of so great importance, that Ordinarily it is necessary, to take many times one vice, which we would avoid, and one virtue which we would obtain, into parts, that so, by little and little, we may be able to compass that which we desire. So is it therefore in this virtue. If you will make your particular examination, about rooting up the pride of your heart, and of obtaining the virtue of Humility, you must not take it in hand, after a kind of general way. For Humility, and pride, embrace many particulars, and if you take it but so in gross, as to say I will be proud in nothing, but humble in all things, it is too much to examine yourselves upon, at once; and it will be more, if you do it upon two or three virtues at once, and thus in fine, you will do nothing. But you are to take it into parts, and to go on by little and little. Consider, in what you are chiefly wont to fail, concerning Humility, or in exercising of pride, and begin there, and having ended with one particular thing, take another to hart, and then another, and thus by little and little, you will go rooting up the whole vice of pride out of your souls, and planting the virtue of Humility in place thereof. Let us therefore now go parting, and deviding these things, that so you may the better, and with the more profit, make this Particular examination, concerning this virtue, which is so necessary.  
The first shall be, not to speak a word which may redound to our own estimation and praise. For the appetite of honour and estimation, is so natural to us, and we carry it so rooted in our hearts: that, even as it were with out thinking, or reflecting upon it, our tongues run voluntarily to say some what which either directly, or indirectly may redound to our own praise. Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur. The hart is wont to speak, out of the abundance of the mouth. As soon as any occasion is offered, whereby honour may be gained, we instantly come in for our parts: as by saying, I was in place; I was partly the cause: If I had been absent; I was interessed in that from the beginning; &c.  
And the while, I dare warrant you, that if the thing had not brought honour with it, you would have been content, to hold your peace, though you had been present, yea and partly, had been the cause there of. Of this kind, there are other words, which many times we observe not, till they be passed: and therefore it will be very well done, to make a Particular examination upon this point: that so by care, and good custom, we may take a way this other ill one, which is so connatural to us.  
The second may be that, which Saint Basil advices us; and it is alsoe of Saint jerosme, Saint Augustine, and Saint Bernard: namely that we be not willing to hear any other, praise, or speak well of us, for in this, there is alsoe great danger, Saint Ambrose saith, that when the devil cannot beat us down by pusillanimity, and dismay, he procures to blow us up by presumption and pride, and when he cannot overthrow us, by the way of affronts, he procures that we may be honoured and praised, and so to be undone by that means. It is recounted in the life of the blessed Saint Pachomius, that he was wont to go out of his Monastery, into some more solitary parts to pray: and that when he returned, the devil came in many times: And as when a leader goes before a great Army, so did the devils before him, with much noise, and just as if they had been making place, and removeing the impediments of their own passage, they vould go on, saying thus: Date locum homini Dei, date locum homini dei, Away, out of the way, make room, make room, here comes the Saint, here comes the great servant of God. This they did, to see if they could lift him up into pride, but he despised, and made a scorn of them. And now do you alsoe thus, when you here men praise you, and when thoughts of your own honour and estimation, shall approach to you And then make account, that it is the devil whom you here, whilst they speak to you of such things, and despise and make a scorn of him, and so you shall free yourselves, of this temptation.  
Saint john Climacus relates a certain thing, which is very particular to this purpose. He saith, that the devil did once discover to a certain Monk, the ill thoughts where with he tempted another, to the and that the tempted man, hearing, from the others mouth, that which passed secretly in his own hart, might hold him for a kind of Prophett, and praise and publish him for a Saint, and that by this means, he might grow proud. Hereby you may perceive how well the devil is content when vain complacence and pride may have entrance into our hart, since he procures that it may be so, by so many inventions and tricks. And so Saint Jerome saith, Nos ergo, ad patriam festinantes, mortiferos Syrenarum cantus surda debemus aure pertransire. Keep yourselves safe from these Sirens, for they inchaunte men, and put them out of their wits. The Music of the praises of men, is so delightful and so sweet to our ears, that there are no Sirens, which can so inchaunte men, nor put them so out of their wits, and therefore we had need to stop our ears, and make ourselves deaf to them. Saint john Climacus advices us, when men praise us, to call our sins to mind, for so shall we find ourselves to be unworthy of the pra●ses they give, and so shall we draw more Humility and confusion from thence. This may therefore be the second thing, upon which you may particularly examine your selves: Namely, that you rejoice not to be well spoken of, and praised by others. And to this we may alsoe join, the being glad when others are well spoken of, and praised, which is a point of very great importance. And when soever you find either any feeling or motion of envy for the praise of others, or else of any complacence or vain contentment in that others speak well of you; be sure to set it down, for a fault.  
The third thing upon which we may make a Particular examination of our selves, is concerning the not doing of any thing, to the end that we may be seen, or esteemed by men. And this is that, which Christ our Lord advices us, in the holy Gospel: Attendite ne iustitiam vestram faciatis coram hominibus, ut videamini ab eyes, alioquin mercedem non habebitis, apud patrem vestrum, qui in coelis est. This is a very profitable examination, and it may be divided into many parts. First it may be made, upon the not doing of any thing for humane respects. Secondly upon the doing thing merely, for the love of God. And thirdly, on the doing them perfectly well, as one who doth them in the presence of God, and as one who serves not men but God. And this diligence is to be used by us, till the works be performed by us in such sort, as that we may rather seem to be loveing God in them, then to be working of them, as we declared formerly at large, when we treated of the rectitude, and purity of the intention, which we are to carry in our actions.  
The fowerth point, upon which we may carry our particular examination, is, not to excuse ourselves. For this alsoe grows from pride, when committing a fault and being told of it, we instantly make our excuse, and, without even marking it, we make one excuse sometimes upon another, yea and we will yet give another excuse, for having formerly excused ourselves: Ad excusandas excusationes in peccatis. Saint Gregory upon these words of job. Si abscondi, quasi homo, peccatum meum, & caelavi in sinu meo, iniquitatem meam. If as a man, I have hidden my sin, the Saint ponders these words very well Quasi homo, as a man: and saith, that it is the property of a man, to desire to cover and excuse his sin, because it comes to us by descent, from our first parents. As soon as the first man had sinned, he went instantly to hide himself amongst the trees of Paradise, and God reproving him for his disobedience, he thus excused himself presently upon his wife: Mulier quam dedisti mihi sociam, dedit mihi de ligno, & comedi. O Lord, that woman, whom thou gavest me for my companion, made me eat of the forbidden fruit. And the woman excused herself in like manner, upon the serpent: Serpens decepit me, The Serpent deceived me and I did eat thereof. God examined them about their sin, to the end that knowing it, and confessing it, they might obtain pardon for it: and so Saint Gregory saith, that he did not axamine the Serpent, because he meant not to pardon the Serpent. But they, instead of humbling themselves, and acknowledging their sin, towards the obtaining of pardon, increase and aggravate it, by their excuses: yea and by desiring, after a sort, thus to cast the fault upon God. The woman whom thou gavest me, O Lord, was the cause. As if he had said: If thou hadst not given her me for a companion, no part of this had been done. The serpent which thou didst create, and suffer to enter into Paradise, deceived me, and if thou hadst not suffered it to enter there, I had not sinned. Saint Gregory saith, that they having heard from the devil's mouth, that they should be like God, since they could not become like him in the point of his divinity, they endeavoured to make him like them, in the point of their sin, & so they made it greater by defending it, than they had done by committing it. And now, as being Children of such parents, and in fine, as being men, we still remain with this infirmity, and with this defect, and ill custom, and when we are reproved for any fault, we instantly have a mind to cover it with an excuse, as under bows and leaves: yea and some times, a man is not content to excuse himself, but he must needs be casting the fault upon others. A Saint compares such as excuse themselves, to the hedgehog; which when it perceives that they go about to take her, she shrinks in her head and feet with extreme speed and remains as a bowl, being circled on every side as it were with thorns; so that a man cannot touch her, without pricking himself first.  prius videas sanguinem tuum quam corpus suum: So that you shall sooner see your own blood, than her body. In this manner, saith, the S. be they who are wont to excuse themselves; for if you will but thouch them, by telling them the faults which they made, they instantly defend themselves: like the hedgehog; and some times they prick and gaul you, and give you also to understand, that you as well deserve reproof. At other times, they will be telling you, that there is a Rule which forbids one to find fault with another; and at others, that there be some who make greater faults which yet men are content to dissemble; and in fine, do but touch the hedgehog, and you shall see whether he will prick you or Noah. All this business grows from our great pride, who would not have our faults known, nor be held for defective, and it troubles us more, that they be understood, and for the estimation which we think vee lose thereby, them for having committed them; and so we procure to conceal, and hide them, the most we can. Nay there are some so unmortified in this kind, that even before you say any thing, they prevent you and excuse themselves, and give reasons for that which they think you may object; and they say, If I did this, it was for this reason and if I did that, it was for that: and the like. But who, in the mean time, pricks you now, that you must skipp so high? The goad of pride it is, which you carry so deeply rooted in your hearts. This is that which pricks you, and which makes you leap even before your tyme. It will therefore be well done by him who finds this old and ill custom in himself, to examine himself particularly thereof; till at length, he may come to part with all desire of covering his faults; but rather since he committed them, let him be glad to be held faulty, in recompense and satisfaction thereof. Yea and though you have made no fault, and yet they reprehend you as if you had, yet do not you excuse yourselves. For when the Superior shall have a mind to know the cause or reason, which you had for doing it, he can ask you the question and perhaps he knows it already: and desires but to make trial of your Humility, and to see in what manner you take the admonition, and reprehension which he gives.  
The fifth, is alsoe very good for a man to examine himself upon, namely the restraining and cutting of all thoughts of pride. A man is so proud, and vain, that many idle and presumptuous thoughts, will be rushing in upon him, and he will imagine himself to be in some high office, and performing of some great function. Already you fancy yourselves to be preaching in the places where you were borne, with great allowance & liking, and you imagine that you produce great fruit. Already do you conceive that you are reading, or disputing against such Conclusions, with great applause of the hearers; and such things as these. All this grows from our great pride, which lies spronting, and breaking out into these thoughts. And therefore it will be very well done, to make a particular examination upon the clipping and cutting of these thoughts, which are so haughty and vain. And so will it be fit so to stop & instantly to cut off all impure thoughts, and rash judgements, or any other vice, whereby we may find ourselves to be molested.  
The sixth point shall be, to carry a particular examination upon yourselves, whether you esteem of all men as your Superiors, according to what our Rule saith, Namely that we must animate ourselves, towards Humility, by procuring and desiring to give the advantage to others esteeming them all from our very souls, as if they were our Superiors, and exteriorly bearing them that respect and reverence, which the condition or state of every one of them shall bear with plainness and Religious simplicity of hart: and this is alsoe taken from the Apostle. And how soever there is to be a difference amongst men, according to the distinction of their persons and states, yet, for as much as may concern the interior and true Humility of our souls, our Father's will is that as this Society was called by him the least of all other religious Orders, so every member thereof, must hold himself for the least of them all and must hold them all for his Superiors and betters. This shall therefore be a very good, and profitable examination: but yet so, as that it be not only speculative, but that in the exercise and practise thereof we procure to carry ourselves so towards all, with such Humility and respect, as if they were indeed our Superiors. For if you esteem that other man as your Superior, you will not be talking to him with such liberty, and harshness, and much less in words which may mortify and offend him, nor will you so easily pass your judgement rashly upon him, nor be disgusted that he should treat you, or speak to you in this or that manner. And so you are to set down, and note all these things for faults, when you examine yourself there upon.  
The seaventh thing whereof we may particularly examine ourselves, upon this subject, is uhether we make good use of all those occasions, which offer themselves towards the getting of Humility. Are you wont to be troubled when another speaks some little word to you which you would not hear, or when they command you any things in to resolute and imperious manner, or when you think they make not so much account of you as of others? Examine yourselves whether you make good use of these, as alsoe those other occasions, which some times present themselues, redounding to your disestimation. This is one of the most proper, and most profitable examinations, which, we can use towards the obtaining of the virtue of Humility. For besides that we shall thus go providing ourselves, for all those things which may daily occur, and whereof we may stand in need, we may, by means of this examination, go increasing, and rising up by those three degrees of virtue, which we set down before. First, you may examine, whether or no you carry all these things with patience. Secondly whether you carry them with so much promptitude and facility, as that they put you to no trouble. And thirdly, whether you carry them with joy, and with takeing pleasure in the contempt of yourself; for in this we shown before, that the perfection of Humility doth consist.  
The eight point upon which a man may particularly examine himself, either in this subject, or in others like it, is to make some acts, or exercices, as well interior as exterior of Humility, or any other virtue, about which he examines himself, actuating upon it, so many times in the morning, and so many in the evening: beginning with fewer acts, and so rising up to more, till at length he get the habit and custom of that virtue. And now the enemies being divided after this manner, and we taking every one of them by himself, they will the more easily be overcome, and the victory which is desired, will be the more speedily obtained.   

How it may be compatible with Humility, to be willing to be accounted off, and esteemed by men. CHAPTER XXIX.  
THere is a doubt, wont to be propounded concerning Humility, the solution whereof doth much import, that so we may know how to carry, and conduct ourselves therein. We ordinarily say, and it is the general doctrine of the SS. that we must desire to be abased, disesteemed, and despised, and that men may hold us in no account. But then instantly it comes to be considered, on the other side, how we shall be able to gather fruit, by the good of our neighbours, if they disesteem and despise us: for to that end it is necessary that we have a kind of credit with them, & that they may hold us in good opinion and estimation: and therefore it may seem, that it shall not be ill but good, that we desire to be valued, and esteemed by men. The glorious Saint Basil, Saint Gregory, and Saint Bernard, treat upon this doubt very well, and say, that although it be true that we must fly from the honour, and estimation of the world, by reason of the great danger which is therein, and that, for as much as is on our part, and for that which may concern ourselves, we must ever desire to be disesteemed and despised, yet for some good end of the greater service of God, the honour, and estimation of the world, may lawfully and piously be desired. And S. Bernard saith alsoe, that for as much as concerns our part, we must wish that men may think, and esteem of us as we think and esteem of ourselves, that so they may value us as ourselves do: but yet he saith withal, that it is not fit many times that others should be sure thereof and so therefore that we may some times even lawfully, and virtuously procure that they may not know our faults, lest so themselves may receive hurt thereby, through the hindrance of their own spiritual good. But in the mean time, it will be necessary that we understand this point very well, and that we walk therein, with great caution, and with much spirit▪ because such truths as this, instead of doing good, do many times much hurt to some, who know not how to make right use thereof. The Saints themselves declare this doctrine very well, that so we may not take occasion of error from thence. Saint Gregory saith Non numquam etiam sancti viri de bona sua opinione gaudent: sed eum per hanc, ad meliora proficere audientes pensant. Sometimes even holy men are glad that they have good opinion, & estimation amongst men; but this happens when they find that it is a necessary means, for the doing good and giving help to their neighbour's souls. Nec iam de opinione sua, sed de proximorum gaudent utilitate, quia aliud est favores quaerere & aliud de profectibus exultare. And this (saith S. Gregory) is not to rejoice at his own credit, or estimation; but for the fruit and good of his neighbours; Which is a very different case. It is one thing for a man to love humane honour, and estimation for itself, and to dwell as it were therein, for his own respect, and contentment that so he may grow great and be celebrated amongst men, and this is naught, but another thing it is, when this is liked for some good end, as for the good of our neighbours, and to give help to souls, and this is not ill but good, and thus we may well desire opinion, and estimation of the world, and that they may have us in good conceit, for the greater glory of God, and because it may be necessary for the edification of our neighbours, and for the benefit of their souls. For thus a man shall not rejoice in his own honour, and estimation, but in the spiritual good of others, and the greater glory of Almighty God. And as he who for his health desires to take a purge, which he naturally abhors, may well say, that to admit and like the purge, is to love his health; so he who admits, and likes humane honour, which otherwise he despises (only because in that case it is a necessary, or at least a profitable means for the service of God, and the good of souls) may affirm with truth, that he desires and likes nothing in it, but the glory of almighty God.  
But let us now consider how we may know, whether a man delight in honour, and estimation for the mere glory of God, and the good of his neighbours, or else for his own sake and for the affection which he bears to his own honour: fort this indeed is a nice point, wherein the whole difficulty of this business consists S. Gregory answered thus: Quadratus in re necesse est, ut cum audientium utilitati non proficit, mentem nostram fama laudabilis non elevet, sed fatiget. Our being glad of honour and estimation, is to be so merely for God, that when it is not necessary for his greater glory, and the good of souls, not only we are not to rejoice therein, but to be troubled at it. So that our desire and heart, for as much as may depend on us, is ever to be inclined to dishonour, and contempt; and therefore when any occasion thereof is presented, we must embrace it with our whole hearts, and be glad of it as men; who have met with what they wished for. And as for honour and estimation, we are only to desire it, and be glad thereof, so fare forth as it may be necessary for the edification, and further good of our neighbour's souls, and for the greater honour and glory of Almighty God. We read of our blessed Father Ignatius that if he had given way to the fervour of his own desire, he would have been glad to go through the streets, all stuck with feathers, and full of Dirt: that so he might be held for a mad fool, but that the Charity and desire, which he had of the good of souls, had repressed this so ardent impulse, which carried him towards the acts of Humility, and put him into the obligation of treating himself with such decency and gravity, as might be fit for his condition, and person. But as for his desire and inclination, it was ever to be despised and a based: and whensoever any occasion was offered, whereby he might humble himself, he embraced it, and when it was not offered he sought it, with great desire to find it. By this you shall therefore know, if you be glad of honour, and estimation, for the good of souls, and the glory of God, or else for your own honour and fame. If when any occasion of Humility, and contempt is offered, you embrace it in good earnest, and with the heart; and if you rejoice thereat, it is then a good sign; that when such a sermon, or such another employment hath succeeded well, and that you are valued and esteemed for it, you rejoice not for your own honour, and estimation, but merely for the glory of God, and the good of souls which grows thereby. But when, on the other side some occasion of Humility, and of being held in small account is offered, you reject it, or you carry it not well; and if when it is not necessary for the good of others, you will yet be glad of estimation and praise of men, and procure alsoe to have it, this indeed is a sign, that you are glad also in those other things, as for a thing which hath relation to yourself, and your own estimation and honour, and not merely for the glory of God, and the good of souls.  
So that it is true, that the honour and estimation of men, is not ill but good, if we use it rightly, and it may lawfully and virtuously be desired as when Father Franciscus Xavier, went to the king of Bungo, with great company and gravity. Yea even a man's praising himself, may be holy and good, if it be done as it ought. And so we see that Saint Paul writing to them of Corinthus, began to praise, and recount great things of himself, relating the high favours which our Lord had imparted to him; and saying, That he had laboured more than the rest of the Apostles: Yea and he began to tell them of his revelations, and rapts, whereby he had been carried up to the third heaven. But all this he did, because it was convenient, Yea and necessary for the glory of God, and good of them to whom he wrote; that so they might grow to hold and value him for an Apostle of Christ, and embrace his doctrine, and take benefit thereby: and he spoke these things of himself, with a hart, which did not only despise honour, but love dishonour, for the love of Christ our lord, and when his honour was not necessary for the good of others, he knew, very well how to empty and a base himself, saying: That he was not worthy to be called an Apostle, because he had persecuted the Church of God; and styling himsemfe blasphemous, and abortive, and the greatest of sinners; and when the occasions of dishonour and contempt were presented to him, therein was his contentment and joy. Such hearts as these, we may well trust with receiving honour, and with saying some times, such things as may conduce towards it; because they will never do it, but when it may be necessary for the greater glory of God, yea and even then, they do it so much without the sticking of any part thereof to themselves, as if they had not done it it at all: for they love not their own honour, but the honour of Almighty God, and the good of Sowles.  
But because it is a matter of much difficulty to receive honour, and not to grow proud by it, nor to take any vain contentment or complacence therein: therefore the SS. through their fear of the great danger which lurcks in estimation, and dignity, and high place; fled as fare as they could from it all, and transported themselves into parts where they might be neither esteemed, nor so much as known: and they procured to busy themselves in mean, and contemptible employments, because they saw that they profited thereby in Humility, which was the most secure way for them. S. Francis said very well, I am not a Religious man, if I take not dishonour, with the same both inward and out ward joy, wherewith I take honour. For if I joy in that honour which others allow me, when I preach, or perform any other office of Charity to them, for their good; (whereby yet I put my soul to run some hazard, through the danger of vanity) much more ought I joy in mine own good, and in the salvation of mine own soul; which I preserve with more security, when I am scorned; and it is evident that we are more obliged to joy in our own good and profit, then in that of others, because Charity well ordered begins at home. If then you joy in the good of your neighbour, when the sermon, or other employment hath succeeded well, and when you are esteemed and praised for it, why should you not be glad of your own good, when you having done what was in you, are yet undervalved for your pain for this is better and more safe for you? If you be glad when you have a great talent, wherewith to do great things, for the good of others, why are you not glad of you own good, and for your being left in contempt, because God gave you no such talent? If you be glad when you have much health and strength, wherewith to labour hard for the good of others; why should you not be glad when God is pleased, that you should be sick and weak, and be fit for nothing, but to be laid by in a corner and without use: for this is your profit, and this will help you more towards Humility; and in this shall you please God more, then if you were a great preacher, since his will is so.  
Hereby it may be seen, how much deceived they are, who have lodged their eyes upon honour, and the estimation of the world, under colour, forsooth, that is necessary for the doing good to others: and under this pretence they desire high place, and honourable employments, and all that which looks like greatness, and so they fly from all that which is mean, and poor: for they make themselves believe, that they were to be disauthorised thereby. But in this is another deceit, and a very great one, that by the very thing, whereby a man pretends to gain authority, and by that whereby he thought to lose it, he shall gain it. Some conceive, that by means of the poor coat, and by exerciseing that low and mean place, they shall lose that value, and estimation, which were necesary for the doing good to others, but it is their pride which deceives them: for they should rather gain it by this means: and by the contrary of that whereby they would procure it, they shall lose it. Our Blessed Father Ignatius, taught this doctrine very well, and was wont to say, that the study of true humility did more help to the conversion of souls, than the being in authority or state, which hath in it, any smack or sent of the worldly honour. And he practised this not only in himself, but he taught it in such sort to them whom he sent to labour in the vineyard of our lord, that to the end that they might succeed, in the doing of high, and great things, they must ever procure to walk in the way of Humility, & contempt of themselves: for than would the work be safe, as being well funded upon Humility, and besides, for that this is the way, whereby our lord is wont to do great things. And according here unto, when our B. Father sent the Father's Franciscus Xavier, and Simon Rodriguez to Portugal, he ordained that as soon as they should arrive in that kingdom, they should live by begging alms, and so open the way in thither, for all that which might be to follow, by poverty, and contempt of themselves. And when Father Salmeron and Paschasius went in the quality of Nuntioes, from the sea Apostolicque into Ireland: he ordained them to teach Children, and rude people the Christian doctrine. And when Father Salmeron and Father Lainez went to the Council of Trent, the first time, (they being sent thither by Pope Paul the third in the quality of the Theologues of his Holiness) the instructions which he gave them, were that before they were ever to deliver any opinion in the Council, they should go to the Hospital, and there visit the poor sick people, and teach Children the principles of the holy Catholic Faith: and that when they should have laid these roots, they might pass on, and declare their opinion in the Council; for that then, it would be profitable and fruitful; as we know and see that by the goodness of our lord it was. And now after all this, will it be fit that we should go doubting, and fearing, and dreaming on, with our humane prudence: lest reputation forsooth, should be lost, by such actions as these. I will be your warrant, never fear. Your pulpit will not be disauthorised by your teaching little Children the Christian doctrine; nor by making spiritual exhortations in the market places, Hospitals, and prisons. Never fear that you shall lose credit with people of quality, because they see you attend to take the confessions of poor miserable people: or because yourselves go clad like poor Religious men. Nay, this is rather the way to gain authority, and reputation with them: and you shall thus produce more fruit of souls, for God exalts such as are humble: and is wont to do wonders by their means.  
But now laying this last reason which is the chief a side, and to consider the thing in question, by the way of prudence. and humane reason, you cannot employ a more efficatious means to gain authority and opinion amongst your neighbours, and to do good to souls, then to exercise yourselves in these things, which seem poor and base, & to do it so much the more, by how much the more your parts are greater. The reason of this is, because the world doth so hugely esteem of honour and estimation, and of things which are high, in order to that end, as that the thing of the whole world which it admires most, is the man who despise● that, and to see that one who might be used in high and honourable employments doth choose to pass his hours, in things which are poor and mean: and thus they grow to frame a great conceit, and estimation of the sanctity of such persons, & accept of that doctrine which they teach as if it came immediately to them from heaven  
We read in the life of Father Franciscus Xavier, that when he was to embark himself for the Indieses, he would not receive any provision at all, for his navigation, and the Conde de Castaineda, who had then the office to provide for the fleets of those parts, being very earnest with the Father, that at least he would take some servant with him, who might assist him at Sea, alleging that it would diminish his authority and reputation with that people which he was to instruct by the way, if they should see him, amongst the rest of the passengers, wash his own  upon the decks, and dress his own meat, with his own hands, the Father made him this answer. My lord, the procuring to gain authority, and reputation by this very means, whereof your Lordship speaks, hath betrayed the Church of God, and brought the prelate's thereof, to that state wherein now they are. And the means whereby this reputation ●s to be recovered must be to wash a man's own ●aggs, and to dress his own meat, without ●auing need of any other, and in the midst of ●ll this, to be employing himself upon the serui●● of his neighbours, for the good of their souls. The Conde was so edified with this answer, that he knew not what to reply. By this means, & by such Humility and virtue as this, authority and credit is to be gained, and thus will you gather more fruit. And so we see what great things Father Franciscus Xavier, did in the Indieses, by teaching Children the Christian doctrine, and by going a bout, and ringing his little bell by night, to get the souls in Purgatory prayed for: and by serving and comforting the sick; and in fine, by employing himself in such low, and mean actions as these. And by this way, came he to be a man of so much reputation, and authority, that he robbed all men of their hearts, and drew them towards him: and they esteemed him and called him, the Holy Father. This is that kind of authority, whereof men have need, that so they may be able to do good to souls: this is the estimation & opinion, which follows humble men, and belongs to Saints and Evangelicall preachers, and this in a word, is that which we are to procure. For as for those other authorities, and reputations, and puntilies, which carry a smack and savour of the world with them, they do great hurt, and they disedifie our neighbours very much, as well them who are a broad, as us who live at home within doors.  
Upon those words of Saint john; Ego autem gloriam meam non quaero, est qui querat, & iudicet; I seek not mine own glory; it is my Father who takes account thereof; a doctor saith thus very well: Since our heavenly Father procures, and seeks our honour, and our Glory, ourselves have no need to take care thereof. Take you care to humble yourselves, and to be such as you ought; and as for any such estimation and authority, whereof you think you may have need, for the good of souls, leave you that to God: for even whereby you shall most humble and abase yourselves, thereby will God raise you most, & endue you with another manner of estimation in the world, then that which you would ever be able to obtain for yourselves, by these other humane diligences, and devices. And let not alsoe honour, and reputation of your Order, stand so much in your light: for this is alsoe another false colour, which is wont now & then to offer itself, as well in this, as in such other things, for the disguising of our imperfection & immortification. For thus some men will say: O I did not this or that, in any regard of mine own, but to the end that I might authorize my Order, to which men ought to bear respect, I pray you let those respects a love. The Order will gain more respect, if the world may find that you are patiented, quiet, and humble; for the authority and estimation thereof, consists in that the members of it be mortified, and humble men, and entirely stripped of all those things, which carry any savour, or odour of the world with them.  
Father Mafeus, in the History of the Indies, relates how one of our Fathers preaching the Faith of Christ our lord, in japon, one of those Pagans, who by chance passed by, at that time, in the public street of Firando, made a scorn both of his person, and of his preaching: and drawing up as much flame as he could, he spit it full in the Father's face. The preacher took out a handkercher, and wiped his face, without speaking a word thereof, or showing any trouble at all; but proceeded in his sermon with the same tenor and semblance, as if no such thing had passed. The while, one of the auditors uncracked it much, and seeing the great Humility, and patience of the preacher, he began to think thus with himself. It is not possible, but that the doctrine which teaches so much patience, Humility, and constancy of mind, should be from heaven. Certainly this is God's business. And this consideration, made so much impression in him, that it was a motive to his conversion, and so he went after the preacher, upon the end of the sermon; and besought him that he might be instructed in the faith of Christ our lord, and so be baptised.   

Of the third degree of Humility. CHAPTER. XXX.  
THE third degree of Humility, is when a man professing great virtues, and gifts of God, and being in great honour, and estimation, grows not at all proud thereby, nor attributes any thing to himself; but refers and ascribes it all, to the true fountain thereof, which is God, from whom every good, and perfect guif proceeds. This third degree of Humility, (saith Saint Bonaventure) belongs, to high and perfect men: and by how much higher they are, so much the more low, do they humble themselves. That a man who is imperfect, and faulty, should know and esteem himself for such, is no great matter. It is commendable, and good, but it is no wonderful thing, any more than it is, for the son of a plough man, not to desire to be held for the king's Son; or for a poor man for poor, or a sick man for sick: and that others may hold them for such as they know themselves to be: but that a rich man should account himself poor, and the great man make himself little, and so conform himself to mean persons, this indeed deserves to be accounted strange. The saint therefore saith, that it is not to be wondered at, that a man who is imperfect and faulty, should hold himself for imperfect and faulty: nay rather it were to be wondered at, if being as he is, he should hold himself to be perfect, and good: for it is, as if being full of Leprosy, he should take himself to be sound: But that he who is mightily advanced in virtue, and possesses many gifts of God, and is really very great in his Divine presence, should yet hold himself for little, this indeed is great Humility, and worth the wondering at. Saint Bernard saith, Magna & rara virtus profecto est, cum magna opereris, magnum te nescire: cum omnibus nota sit sanctitas tua, te solum lateat, cum omnibus mirabilis appareas, tibi soli vilescas. A great and rare virtue it is, that a man should do great things, and yet not hold himself for great; that others should evidently see his sanctity, and yet that it should lie hid from him; that he should be admirable in the eyes of others, and contemptible in his own. Hoc ego ipsis virtutibus, mirabilius iudico. I esteem this more (saith he) than all the other virtues which he can have.  
This Humility was sound after a most perfect manner, in the most sacred Queen of Angels: who knowing that she was chosen for the mother of God, did acknowledge herself, with most profound Humility, to be his servant and slave. Ecce ancilla Domini (saith Saint Bernard) Mater Dei eligitur, & ancillam se nominat. God having chosen her to so great an honour, and for so high a dignity, as to be his Mother, she calls herself his Slave; an being celebrated by the mouth of Saint Elizabeth for blessed amongst all women, she ascribed not to herself any glory for all these greatnesses which were in her: but she gave them all back again to God exalting and admiring him for them, & herself remaining the while, most unshaken and entire in her own most profound Humility. Magnificat anima mea Dominum, Et exultavit spiritus meus in deo salutari meo, quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae. This is the very Humility of heaven, the Saints possess this Humility. And this (saith S. Gregory) is that which S. john saw, in the Apocalypse, of those four and twenty Elders, who being prostrate before the throne of God, adored him, takeing the Crowns of from their heads, & casting them down at the foot of the throne. And the Saint saith, that the casting of their Crowns, at the foot of the throne of God, signifies the not attributing their victories to themselves, but the ascribing all to God, who gave them strength, and power to overcome. Dignus es Domine Deus noster accipere gloriam, & honorem, & virtutem, quia tu creasti omnia, & propter voluntatem tuam erant, & creata sunt. It is reason O Lord, that we give the honour and glory of all to thee, and that we take of the Crowns from our heads, and that we cast them at thy feet, because all is thine, and by thy will it is made: and if we have any thing good, it is because thou wouldst have it so. This is then the third degree of Humility, when a man ascribes not these gifts, and graces to himself, which he hath received of God: but to ascribe them and refer them all to him as to the author and giver of all good gifts.  
But some man may say, if Humility consists in this, we all are humble; for who is there who knows not, that all good comes to us from God, and that of ourselves we have nothing but misery, and sin. Who is he that will not say, if God should take his hand off from me, I were the most miserable man of the whole world. Perditio tua ex te Israel, tantummodo in me auxilium tuum. On our part we have nothing but destruction and sin saith the Prophet Ose. All the favour, and all the good comes to us from the liberality of God, and this is Catholic Doctrine: and so it may seem that we all have this Humility; for we all believe this truth, whereof the holy Scripture is full. The Apostle Saint james, in his Canonical Epistle, saith, Omne datum optimum, & omne donum perfectum de sursum est, descendens a patre hominum. All good and perfect gifts, come to us from a 'bove, from the Father of lights. And the Apostle Saint Paul saith, Quid habes quod non accepisti; non quod sufficientes simus cogitare aliquid à nobis, quasi ex nobis; sed sufficientia nostra ex Deo est: Deus est qui Operatur in vobis, & velle, & perficere, pro bona volontate. He saith, that we cannot work, nor speak, nor desire, nor think, nor begin, nor finish any thing, which may serve for our salvation, without God, from whom all our sufficiency proceeds. And by what more clear comparison could it be given us to understand all this, then by that which Christ our Lord himself declares. Sicut palmes non potest ferre fructum à semetipso, nisi manserit in vite: sic nec vos, nisi in me manseritis. Will you see, saith he, the little or indeed the nothing which you can do without me, the vine branch cannot give fruit of itself, unless it be united to the vine, so no man can perform any meritorious work for himself unless he be united with me. Ego sum vitis, vos palmites, qui manet in me, & ego in eo, hic fert fructum multum, quia sine me nihil potestis facere. What is more fruitful than the branch united to the vine, and what more unprofitable, and useless, than the branch parted from the vine? For what is it good? God inter●ogats the Prophett Ezechiell: Fili hominis quid fiet de ligno viti●? What O son of man shall be done with the branch of vine? It is not timber which i● fit for any Carpenter's work, nor yet for any stake, or pin, where upon any thing may be hanged against a wall. The branch severed from the vine, is fit for nothing, but the fire. Now just so, are we, if we be not united to the true vine, which is Christ our Lord. Si quis in me non manserit, mittetur foras sicut palms, & arescet, & colligent eum, & in ignem mittent, & ardet. We are good for nothing but the fire: and if we be any thing, it is by the grace of God, as Saint Paul saith: Gratiâ Dei sum id quod sum. It seems we are all fully satisfied with the truth of this: That all the good we have is of God, and that we are to ascribe no good to ourselves, but all to God, to whom the honour and glory of all, is due. It seems, I say, that this is not very difficult, to such as believe in Christ; and therefore that it should not be set down, for the last, and most perfect degree of Humility, since it is so clearly a point of Faith.  
It seems so indeed, at the first sight, if we look superficially upon it; but indeed it is not easy, but very hard. Cassian saith, that to such as are but beginners, it seems to be but an easy thing, to attribute nothing to a man's self, and not to rest or rely upon his own industry, and diligence, but to refer and ascribe all to God, but saith that indeed it is very hard. For since we alsoe contribute some what on our part, towards good works, Dei enim sumus adiutores, as Saint Paul saith, because we alsoe work and concur jointly with God, we grow tacitly, and even as it were without finding it, to confide in ourselves; and a secret presumption and pride steals upon us, which makes us think, that this or that was done by our diligence and care; and so by degrees, we grow vain, and look big, and ascribe the works which we do to ourselves: as if we had performed them by our own strength; and as if they had been wholly ours. This is not so easy a business as we conceive. And it may suffice for us, that the SS. set this down, for the most perfect degree of humility, & they say this is the Humility of the great ones; that we may so understand, that there is more difficulty, and perfection therein, than one would think. For a man to receive great gifts of God, and to do great things, and to give God all the glory of all as he ought, without attributing any thing to himself, and not to take any vain contentment therein, is a point of great perfection. To be honoured and praised for a S. and that no part of such honour, and estimation should stick at all to the hart, any more than if he had done nothing, is a very hard thing, and there are few who attain to it, and there is need of much virtue for the performance thereof.  
S. Chrisostome saith, that to converse in the midst of honour, and not to be at all touched thereby, is like conversing much with beautiful women, and yet never to look upon them with unchaste eyes. It is a difficult, and a dangerous thing, and a man had need of much virtue therein. For a man to climb so high, and not to be giddy, he had need be master of a good head. All men have not a head, wherewith to walk on high All the Angels of heaven, Lucifer, and his consorts had it not; and so they grew giddy, and proud, and fell down into the bottomless Abyss of Hell For this they say was the sin of the Angels, that when God created them so beautiful, and had enriched them with so many both natural, and supernatural gifts, In veritate non stetit: they remained not in God; nor gave him the glory of all, but would needs subsist in themselves. And yet not as conceiving, that of themselves they had these things (for they knew well, that they all came from God, and that they depended upon him, since they knew they were his creatures) but, as the Prophett Ezechiell saith, Elevatum est cor tuum in decore tuo: They grew proud in their beauty, and glorified themselves in those gifts, which they had received of god, and took delight in them, as if they had possessed them of themselves, and did not ascribe or refer them all, to God, giving him the honour and glory thereof: but they grew proud, and they exalted, and contented themselves vainly in themselves. So that, although with their understanding, they knew that the glory thereof was due to God, yet they rob him of it, and took it to themselves, with their will. By this time you see, that this degree of Humility, is not so easy, as it seemed, since the Angels sound it so hard, that they fell from that height wherein God had placed them, because they knew not how to conserve themselves therein. And now, if the Angels had not heads wherewith to walk so hight, but that they grew giddy, & fell down much more reason have we to fear, lest we may fail, when we are raised and exalted into height because we men are so miserable creatures, that as the Prophet David saith, we vanish even like smoke. Mox ut honorificati fuerint, & exaltati, deficientes quemadmodum fumus deficient. As smoke the higher it goes, the more it scatters, and dissolves itself: so man, who is so miserable and so proud, the more he is honoured, and raised up to high state, the more idle and intoxicated he grows.  
O how aptly, and how well did Christ our Lord admonish us of this. The holy Gospel relates, that having sent his seaventy two desciples to preach, they returned to him full of joy, and being, as it were proud, of their mission, they said thus to him: Lord we have done wonderful things, yea and the very Devils themselves, have obeyed us in thy name. But the Savyour of the world answered them thus, with great severity. Videbam Satanam, sicut fulgur, de coelo cademem. Take heed of vain contentment in yourselves, and know, that Lucifer ●ell down from heaven, because in that high state wherein he was created the was vainly pleased with himself, and with those gifts and graces, which he had received, and did not ascribe all to the honour, and glory of Almighty God, as he ought, but would needs take it to himself. Take heed, the like happen not to you: grow not vain by reason of the great and wonderful things which you do in my name, and take no vain contentment in them. And now these words, may also suit with us. Take heed you wax not proud, in that great things are done by you, for the good of others, and many souls are gained by your means. Take heed you have no vain contentment in the applause and opinion of men, and in the much account they make of you. Be sure you take nothing to your selves, and suffer not the love of honour and estimation, to stick at all to your hearts, for this is that, which cast Lucifer down to Hell, and that which of an Angel, made him a devil. You may see (saith Saint Augustine) how detestable a thing pride is, since it makes Angels devils: and on the other side how excellent a thing Humility is, since it makes men become like Angels. Humilitas homines sanctis Angelis similes facit, & superbia daemones ex Angelis fecit.   

It is declared, wherein the Third degree of Humility consists. CHAPTER XXXI.  
We have not yet sufficiently declared, wherein the third degree of Humility consists; and therefore it will be fit to go on, that so we may the better put in execution, this being the thing at which we aim. The Saints affirm, that this third degree of Humility, consists in knowing how to distinguish between the gold of the graces & benefits which comes to us from God, and the dross or misery, where with we abound in our selves, and then to give every one his due: to God, that which is his, and to our selves that which is ours: and that this be done by execution, and practise, wherein the life of this whole business consists. So that Humility doth not consist in knowing speculatively, that of ourselves, we are good for nothing, and can effect nothing, and that all good things come to us from God, and that it is he, who works the willing, the beginning, and the ending in us, through his free and gracious will as Saint Paul declares (for only to know this speculatively, which is declared to us, by the holy Catholic Faith) is a very easy thing and all true Christians know and believe it; but to know & exercise it, in the way of practice, and to be so grounded and settled in it, as if we saw it with our eyes, and touched and took it into our hands, this (as S. Ambrose says) is a most particular grace, and high favour of Almighty God. To prove this, he brings that passage of S. Paul, Nos autem non spiritum huius mundi accepimus, sed spiritum qui ex deo est, ut sciamus quae a deo donata sunt nobis. We have not received the spirit of this world, but the spirit of God, to the end that we may know, and feel the gifts which we have received from his hand. For a man to acknowledge, and even feel the graces which he hath received from God, so purely, as to esteem them as merely another's, and to have been imparted, and to be enjoyed by the mere liberality and mercy of Almighty God, is a most particular savour, and gift of his: and the wise Solomon saith, that this is supreme wisdom. Et ut scivi quoniam aliter non possem esse continens, nisi deus det, & hoc ipsum erat sapientia, scire cuius esset hoc donum. And another translation saith, Hoc ipsum erat summ● sapientia. To understand and know practically; that to be continent, is not a thing which we are able to compass, by our own strength, and that no industry, or endeavour of our own, is able to obtain it: but that it is the gift of God, and that we must have it from his hand, is a point of supreme wisdom. So that, in this which S. Paul saith, is a particular grace, and gift of God, and which Solomon calls supreme wisdom, consists this third degree of Humility. Quid habes quod non accepisti, si autem accepisti, quid gloriaris quasi non acceperis. What have we, which we have not received; it was none of ours, for of ourselves We have no good thing; and if we have received it, and that it were another's, and none of ours, Why do we glory, as if we had not received it, and as if it were properly our own.  
This was the Humility of the SS. who with being enriched by the gifts, and graces of Almighty God, and with his having raised t●em up to the very top of perfection, and thereby to honour and estimation, even in this world, have notwithstanding held themselves for vile and base in their own eyes, and their souls remained so deeply fixed in the knowledge of their own meanness, and misery, as if they had possessed no such graces at all. There stuck not the least vanity to their hearts, nor any air at all of that honour, and estimation, which the world gave them; for they knew well, how to distinguish between their own, and that of others; & so they looked upon all those gifts, graces, honour, and estimation, as things extrinsecall to themselves, and received from the hand of God; and to him they ascribed, and gave all the glory and praise thereof; themselves remaining still entire in the knowledge of their own unworthiness, considering that of themselues, they could neither have, nor do any good thing. And from thence it alsoe came that though the whole world exalted them, they would never yet exalt themselves, nor esteem themselves one jot the more for that, nor did any little breath thereof stick to their hearts. But it seemed to them that these praises were not uttered, as concerning them, but some other, to whom they belonged; namely God, in whom, & in whose glory they placed all their contentment and joy. And thus it is affirmed with much reason, that this is the Humility of great, and perfect men. First, because it already presuposes great virtue, and great gifts of God, which only makes one great in his sight, and secondly, because in itself, for a man to be truly great in the sight of God, and very eminent in virtue and perfection, and for that reason to be highly valued, and esteemed, both before God and man, and yet in the midst of all this to hold himself for little and base in his own eyes, is a great and admirable perfection.  
And this is that which S. Chrisostome, and S. Bernard do so much wonder at in the Apostles, and others, who, with being so great Saints, and so richly full of graces from God, and his Majesty working such wonders and miracles by their means, so far as even to raise the dead themselves to life, and being so highly esteemed for these things, by the whole world, they yet nevertheless remained so fixed in their unworthiness and baseness, as if they had had nothing in them, and as if it had been some other, and not they who wrought those great things, and as if all that honour, and estimation and praise, were belonging to others, and as if they had imparted to others, and not to them. Saint Bernard saith: Non magnum est esse humilem in abiectione, magna prorsus & rara virtus, humilitas honorata. It is not much that a man in poverty and baseness, should be content to humble himself, for that which indeed he is, helps him to know and disesteem himself, but that a man should be generally honoured and esteemed, and celebrated for an admirable man, and for a Saint, and yet remain so well grounded in the truth of his own baseness, and of his Nothing, as if no part of those other things, were in him, this indeed is a rare and excellent virtue, and a point of most high perfection. In such men saith Saint Bernard, doth the light shine before men, according to the commandment of our Lord not for the glorifying of themselves, but of their Father who is in heaven. These are those true imitators of Saint Paul, and of the preachers of the Gospel, who publish not themselves, but jesus Christ. These are those good, and faithful servants who seek no advantage of their own, nor ascribe any things to themselves, but all and that most faithfully to God, to whom they give the glory of all. And so shall they be sure to hear from the mouth of our Lord, those words of the Gospel. Euge serve bone & fidelis quia super pauca fuisti fidelis, supra multa te constituam. Rejoice thou, O good and faithful servant, for because thou hast been faith full in little, I will appoint and place thee over much.   

The foresaid truth is more declared. CHAPTER XXXII.  
We have said that the third degree of Humility, is when a man having great virtues, and gifts of God, and withal being in great honour, and estimation with the world, grows not proud thereof; but attributes, and ascribes all to the fountain thereof, which is God: giving him the glory of all, himself remaining, the while, in his own unworthiness and baseness, as if he did nothing, nor had nothing. But now we say not, for all this, that we do not also work or that we have not a part in those good works which we do for this were a great ignorance and error. It is evident, that by means of our Free will, we concur, and work jointly with God, towards our good works. For man gives freely his consent to the doing of them; so he comes to work, since by his proper and Free will he will what he willeth, and works what he worketh; & it is in his hand, whether he will work or Noah. Nay rather this is that very thing, which makes this degree of Humility so very hard to be obtained: for on the one side, we are to use all our diligences, and to employ all the means we can to obtain virtue, and to resist temptations, and to procure that all things may succeed well, as if these things alone were able to effect it; and on the other side, when all this is done, we are to distrust ourselves as much, and to hold ourselves for as unprofitable, as ● we had done nothing at all, and we mus● p●ace our whole confidence in God, a● the holy Gospel teaches: Cum feceriti omnia qu●● pre●●pta sunt vobis, dicite serui inutiles sumus; quod debuimus facere fecimus. When you have done all those things which are commanded you (he speaks not of some, but of all) say that you are unprofitable servants; and to say this right, you will have need of some virtue, and not a little. Cassianus saith. That he who comes to know well that he is an unprofitable servant, and that all his own endeavours and diligences, are not able to obtain any one good thing, but that all is to flow from the gracious gifts of Almighty God, this man will not grow proud, when he prevales in any thing, which he obtained not by his own labour, but by the grace and goodness of God. Which is alsoe the same that Saint Paul sait: What hast thou which thou hast not received?  
Saint Augustine brings a very good comparison, to declare this truth, and saith: That without the grace of God, we are no more, but merely a body without a soul. So that as a body which is dead, cannot move or stir itself, so we, without the grace of God, cannot perform the works of life, or value, in the sigh of God. So that as that body were a mad kind of thing, which should a sloane the acts of living, and moving to itself, and not ascribe it to the soul which dwells in it, and gives it life; so were that soul to be stark blind, which should attribute the good works which it doth, to itself, and not to God, who infused into it the spirit of life, which is his grace; to the end that so he might be able to perform them. And in another place, he saith, t'has as our corporal eyes, though they be never so sharp sighted, yet if they be not assisted by the light of the Sun, can discern nothing; so a man, how much soever he may be justified, cannot so much as continue to live well, if he be not enabled by the light of God's grace. If our lord keep not the City, saith the Prophett David, in vain doth he watch who keeps it. O si cognoscant se homines, & qui gloriantur, in Domino glorientur, saith the Saint. O that men would at length know themselves, and now at length, understand them selves as to confess that they have nothing in themselves, whereof to glory, bu● only in Almighty God. O that Go● would send us some beam of light, from heaven, whereby we might apprehended and understand our own darkness: an● that there is no good, nor being, no strength in any thing which ever wa● created, but only so fare forth, as our lord hath been graciously pleased to give it, and is still pleased to continue it. Now in this doth the third degree of Humility consist, saveing that no poor words of ours can arrive to express the profundity, and great perfection which is therein, notwithstanding all that which we can say, sometimes after one manner, and some times after another: and not only is the practice hereof hard, but even the speculation alsoe.  
This is that anihillation of a man's self, which is so often repeated, and recommended by the Masters of spiritual life. This is that holding, and confessing a man's self for unworthy, and unprofitable to all purposes. Which S. Benet and other Saints set down, for the most perfect degree of Humility. Ad omnia indignum, & in utilem se confiteri, & credere. This is that distrust of a man's self, & that being still depending upon God, which is so recommended to us in holy scripture. This is that holding himself in no account at all, whereof we are ever talking, and hearing: but O that we might find it once for all in our very hearts. That we might vnders●●●d and feel, in very truth, and practically, as a man who sees things with his eyes, and touches and feels them with his hands, that, for as much as is on our part we neither have any thing but misery, nor can do any thing but commit sin; and that all the good which we effect, or work, we neither exercise it, nor have it of ourselves, but only of God; and that the honour and glory of all is his.  
And if with having said all this, you yet understand not fully the perfection of this degree of Humility, do not wonder at it; for this is a very high piece of Theology; and therefore it is not strange, though it be not so easily understood. A certain doctor saith very well, that it happens in all arts, and sciences, that every body arrives to know such things as are common and plain; but as for such others as are curious and choice, they are not to be reached by every hand, but by such only, as are eminent in that science or art. And just so it is in our case; for the ordinary and usual things, belonging to any virtue, are understood by all the world; but such as are extraordinary and choice, and nice, and high, can only be comprehended by such as are eminent, and fully possessed of that virtue. And this is that which S. Laurentius justinianus saith, namely That no man knows well what Humility is but he who hath received the gift of being humble from God. And from hence it alsoe grows, that in regard the saints were endued with such a most profound Humility, that they thought and said such things of themselves, that we who fall so far short of them, cannot understand exactly what they say: but their speeches seem exaggerations, as namely that they were the greatest sinners of the whole world, and the like, whereof I will speak ear long. But if we cannot say or think such things as they, no nor even understand them, it is because we have not arrived to so great Humility as theirs was, and so we understand not the curious, and subtle parts of this faculty. Procure you to be humble, and to grow up in this science, and to profit therein more and more, and then you will understand how such things as those, may be said with truth.   

The third degree of Humility is further declared, and how it grows from thence, that the true humble man, esteems himself to be the least and worst of all. CHAPTER XXXIII.  
TO the end that we may yet better understand this third degree of Humility, and may ground ourselves well therein; it will be necessary for us to go back, and take up the matter nearer the fountain. And as, according to what we said before, all our natural being, and all the natural operations which we have, we have from God: because we were nothing, and then we had no power either to move ourselves, or to see, or hear, or taste, or understand, or will: but God who gave us our natural being, gave us these faculties, and powers, and we must ascribe our being, as alsoe these natural operations to him; so in the self same manner, and with much greater reason must we say, in the case of a supernatural being and of the works of grace, and that so much more, as these are greater, and more excellent than those. We have not our supernatural being of ourselves, but of God. In fine, it is a being of favour and grace, and therefore it is so called, because out of his mere goodness, he added that, to our natural being. Eramus natura filii irae. We were borne in sin, were the Children of wrath, & the enemies of God, who dr●w us out of that darkness, In admirabile lumen suum: Into his admirable light, as the Apostle Saint Peter saith: of enemy's God made us friends, of slaves sons, from being nothing worth, he brought us to be acceptable in his own eyes. And the cause why God did all this, was not for any respect either of our merits past, or services to come; but only for his own bounty, and mercy, and through the merits of jesus Christ, our only Lord and Saviour, as Saint Paul saith; justifificati gratis, per gratiam ipsius, per redemptionem quae est in Christo jesu. Now then, as we were not able to get out of that nothing, wherein we were, into the natural being which now we have, nor were able to perform the acts of life, nor see, nor hear, nor feel, but all this was the gracious gift of God, and to him we must ascribe it all without takeing the glory of it to ourselves; so could we never have gone out of that darkness of sin, wherein we were, and in which we were conceived and borne, if God of his infinite goodness and mercy, hat not drawn us out from thence, nor could we now perform the works of spiritual life, if he gave us not his grace to that end. For the merit and worth of good works, grows not from that part thereof, which they have from us, but from what they have from the grace of our Lord, just so as the legal value which currant money hath, it hath not from itself, but from the stamp or coin. And therefore we must not ascribe any glory at all to ourselves, but all to God, from whom both our Natural, and supernatural being is derived; carrying ever that of Saint Paul, both in our months, and in our hearts, Gratiâ dei sum, id quod sum, I am whatsoever I am, by the mere grace of God.  
But now, as according to what we said, God, not only drew us out of our nothing and gave us that being which now we have; but after we are created, and have received our being, we do not subsist in ourselves, but God is ever sustaining, uphoulding, and conserninge us, with his hand of prower, that so we may not fall into that former profound Abyss of Nothing, from whence he took us before, in the same manner is it alsoe, in the case of our supernatural being; for not only did God show us the savour to bring us out of the darkness of sin, wherein we were, into the admirable light of his grace; but he is ●uer conserning, and holding us up with his hand, that so we may not return to fall. And this, to such a proportion, as that if God should take of his hand, of custody from us, but for one instant, and should give the devil leave to tempt us then at his pleasure; we should return both to our former, and to greater sins: Quoniam à dextris est mihi, ne commovear said the Prophett David. Thou O Lord, art ever at my side holding me up, that I may not be plucked down; it is thy work O Lord, to have raised me up from sin, thine to have kept me from returning to sin again. If I rose up, it was because thou gavest me thy hand; & if now I be on foot, it is because thou houldst me from dropping down. Since therefore, as we shown it before to be sufficient to make us hold ourselves for nothing, because, on our part, we are nothing, we were nothing, & we should be nothing, if God were not ever conserning us: so this is alsoe sufficient to make us ever keep ourselves in the account of being Wicked sinners, because, for as much as is on our part, we are sinners, we were sinners, and we would be sinners, if God were not still uphoulding us, with his holy hand.  
Albertus Magnus saith that who soever would obtain Humility, must plant the root thereof in his hart, which consists in that he knew his own weakness and misery, and understand, and weigh not only how vile, and wretched he is now, but how vile and Wretched he may be, yea and would be even very now, if God with his powerful hand, did not keep him, and sin a sunder: and did not remove the occasions, and assist and strengthen him in temptations. Into how many sins had I fallen, if thou, O Lord, through thy infinite mercy, hadst not kept me up? how many occasions of my sinning haste thou prevented, which were sufficient to have pulled me down, as they pulled down the Prophet David: if thou, knowing my weakness, if thou I say hadst not hindered them? How many times hast thou tied the devil's hands, to the end that he might not tempt me at his pleasure, and if he would tempt me, that yet he should not be able to over come me? How often might I have said those words of the Prophet, with much truth, Nisi quia Dominus adiwit me, pa●lominus habitasset in inferno anima mea. If thou, O Lord, hadst not helped me, this soul of mine had already been little less than in the very bottom of Hell. How often have I been assaulted, and even almost tripped up, towards falling: and thou O Lord, didst hold me, and didst apply thy sweet and strong hand, that I might take no hurt. Si dicebam motus est pes meus, misericordia tua domine adiwabat me. If I said that my foot slippt, thy mercy O Lord, came to help me. O how often should we have been lost, if God, through his infinite mercy and goodness, had not preserved us? This is then the account, wherein we are to hold ourselves: because this we are, and this we possess on our parts, and this we were, and this we should alsoe be again, if God took of his hand, and custody from us.  
From hence it came, that the SS. despised humbled and confounded themselves so fare, that they were not content to esteem little of themselves, and to hold that they were wicked, and sinful men, but they thought themselves the meanest of all others, yea and the most unworthy, and sinful men in the world. We read of Saint Francis, that God had so highly exalted him, and so greatly enriched him with spiritual graces, that his fellow or companion being in prayer, saw a chair richly wrought with enamel, and precious stones, and this, amongst the Seraphins, which was prepared for him. And yet afterward, ask the Saint what opinion he had of himself, his answer was, that he thought there lived not in the world a greater sinner than he. And the same did the holy Apostle Saint Paul affirm alsoe, touching himself: Christus Iesus venit in hunc mundum, peccatores saluos facere quorum primus ego sum. Our lord jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners, of whom I am the first, or chief. And so he advices us to procure to obtain this Humility that we hold ourselves for inferior, and less than all others, & that we acknowledge them all for our Superiors and betters. Saint Augustine saith, Non fallit nos Apostolus nec adulatione uti iubet, cum ad Philippenses 2. dicit, In humilitate superiores, sibi invicem arbitrantes. Et ad Romanos 12. Honore invicem pervenientes, The Apostle deceives ut not, when he saith that we must hold ourselves for the least of all, and that we must esteem all others to be our Superiors and betters: and he commands not hereby, that we should use any words of Flattery, or courtship towards them. The Saints did not say with counterfeit Humility, or telling a lie, that they were the greatest sinners of the world: but merely according to truth, because they thought so in their very hearts, and so they alsoe give us in charge, that we think and say the same, and this not by compliment, or with fiction.  
Saint Bernard ponders very well to this purpose, that saying of our B. Saviour, Cum vocatus fueris ad nuptias, recumbe in no●s●imo loco. When you shall be invited, sit you down in the last and lowest place. He said not, that you should choose a middle place, or that you should sit amongst the lowest; or in the last place but one: but he will only have you sit in the very lowest place of all.  solus videlicet, omnium nouis●mus ●eas, te que nemini, non dico preponas sed nec comparare presumas. Not only are you not to prefer yourselves before any, but not so much as to presume to compare or equal yourselves with any other: but you are only to remain in the last place, without any equal in your baseness, esteeming yourselves to be the most miserable sinners of the whole world. It puts you, saith he, to no danger if perharps you should humble yourselves too much, and putting yourselves under the feet of all; but the preferring yourselves before any one alone, may put you to a great deal of prejudice. And he brings this ordinary comparison. As when you pass by a low gate, the stooping too much with your head, can do you no hurt, but if you stoop never so little less than the gate requires, you may do yourselves so much hurt as to break your heads; so is it alsoe in the soul, For to abase and humble yourselves too much, cannot be hurt full, but to forbear, to humble yourselves, though it be but little to prefer or even equal yourselves to any one, is a dangerous thing. What knowest thou (O man) whether that one whom thou takest, not only to be worse than thou (for perhaps it seems to thee now, that thou art grown to live well) but that he is the wicked man and the greatest sinner in the whole world, may not prove perhaps a better man, then either they or thou, yea and that he is so already in the sight of God. Who knows whether God will not change hands, as jacob did, and that the lots will be alsoe changed; and that thou wilt come to be the forsaken, and the other chosen? Quid s●is, si melior & te, & illis mutatione dexterae excelsae, in se quidem futurus sit, in Deo vero iam sit. How do you know what God hatht wrought in that hart sin●e yesterday, yea and in this last minute. Facile est enim in oculis Dei subito honestare pa●perem. In one instant, is God able to make Apostles of a Publican, and a Persecutor, as he did of Saint Matthew, and Saint Paul. Potens est Deus de lapidibus istis suscitare filios Abrahae. Of sinners more stony and hard then a Diamond, can God make sons for himself. How mightily did that Pharise find himself deceived, when he judged Saint Mary Magdalen for wicked, and when Christ our Lord reproved him, and gave him to understand that she whom he held for a public sinner, was better than he. And so Saint Benet, and Saint Thomas, and other saints set this down for one of the twelve degrees of Humility. Credere & pronumtiare se omnibus viliorem. To say and think of himself, that he is the worst man of the whole world. It is not enough to say so with the tongue, but it must be felt with the very hart. Think not that thou hast profited at all, if thou hold not thyself for the worst of men, saith S. Paul.   

How good and holy men, may with truth esteem themselves less than others, yea and affirm themselves to be the greatest sinners of the world. CHAPTER XXXIV.  
IT will not be matter of curiosity, but of much profit, to declare how good, and holy men, may with truth, esteem themselves less than all; and alsoe affirm that they are the greatest sinners of the whole world; For we have said that we must procure to arrive thus fare. Some of the Saints refuse to answer the question, how this may be; and content themselves with believing of themselves, that they are so in their hearts. S. Dorotheus, relates, hat the Abbott Zosimus being one day speaking of Humility, and saying so of himself; a certain Philosopher was there, who asked him, how he could hold himself to be so great a sinner, since he knew himself to keep God's commandments. To which the holy Abbot made this answer. I say that this which I have said is true, and that I speak as I think; and therefore ask me no more questions. But S. Augustine, S. Thomas, and other SS. give an answer to this question, and they do it diverse ways. That of S. Augustine, and S. Thomas is, that a man placing his eyes upon his own defects, and considering in his neighbour the secret gifts which he hath, or at least may have of God; every one may with truth affirm of himself, that he is the vilest and greatest sinner of the whole world; for he knows his own defects, and knows not another man's graces or gifts. O but say you, I see that he commits many sins, which I commit not. But yet how do you know, what God hath wrought in his hart, since that tyme. In a moment, may God have secretly imparted some gift and favour to that man, which may have made him excel you, as it happened to that Pharise, and that Publican of the Gospel, who went into the Temple to pray. Dico vobis descendit hic iustificatus in domum suam, ab illo, verily I say to you, (said Christ our Lord) that the Publican who was held for so wi●ked, returned justified out of the ●●ple, and the ●hari●e who was held for good, went out condemned. This alone might serve to fright us, and to make us not presume, I say not, to prefer ourselves before, but even not to compare ourselves with any, and to make us keep ourselves in the lowest place of all: which certainly, is most secure. And for him who is truly humble, and from the hart, it is a most easy thing to hold himself in the lowest and least accountt of all others. For the truly humble man, considers in other men the goodness and virtue which they have, and in himself he observes but his own defects; and he is so busy and earnest about the knowledge and redress thereof, that he hath no leisure to lift up his eyes towards the faults of others, as conceaveing himself to have enough of his own to lament: and so he holds all other men, for good, and himself for wicked. And by how much the more holy any man is, so much the more easy, is this to him; for after the rate, or the increase of his other virtues, the knowing, despising, and humbling himself doth alsoe increase, for all these things go together. And still the more light he hath from heaven, and the more knowledge of the goodness and Majesty of Almighty God, the more profound understanding will he come to have of his own misery, and of his nothing, because Abyssus abyssum invocat. That Abyss of the knowledge of the goodness and greatness of God, calls up and discovers that other profound Abyss of our misery, and makes us able to discern the infinite little moats, and grains of dust of our imperfections. And if we hold ourselves in any account, it is certainly because we have smalle knowledge of God, and little light from heaven. The beams of the Sun of justice, have not yet entered in by our window, and so we do not only see not the moats which are our less defects, and imperfections, but we are so short sighted, or rather indeed so very blind, that we scarce discern our greater sins.  
To this it may be added, that God love's Humility, in us so much, and it is so very pleasing to him that we should hold ourselves in no account, and conserve our selves therein; that, in order to this end, he is wont many times, in the case of his great servants, to whom he imparts many high benefits and favours, to desguise his gifts, and to communicate them in such a secret and strange manner, that even the man himself who receives them, doth not throughly comprehend them, and thinks they are nothing. Saint I●rosme saith, Tota illa Tabernaculi pulchritudo pellibus tegitur, & ciliciis: All that beauty of the Tabernacle, was covered with the skins, of beasts. And so useth God to conceal, and cover the beauty of men's virtues, and of his own graces and benefits; by permitting variety of temptations, yea and sometimes of some errors, and imperfections, that so they may be the more safely conserved, as burning Coals under ashes might be.  
Saint john Climacus saith, that as the devil procures to lay our virtues, and good works before our eyes, that so we may grow proud, because he desires our ruin; so on the contrary side, our lord God, because he desires our greater good, gives more particular light to his servants, that so they may see their own faults, and imperfections, and he covers and disguises his gifts and graces to them, that even the man himself who receives them, may not be able expressly to understand them. And this is the common doctrine of the Saints. Saint Bernard saith, Nimirum, conseruandae humilitatis gratia, divina solet pietas ordinare, ut quanto quis plus proficit, eo minus se reputet profecisse nam & usque ad supremum exercitij spiritualis gradum, si quis eo usque pervenerit aliquid ei de primi gradus imperfectione reliquitur, ut vix sibi primum videatur adeptus. To conserve Humility in the servants of God, his divine goodness disposes things in such sort, as that the more a man profitts, the less he conceives himself to profit: and when he is arrived to the highest degree of virtue, Almighty God permitts him to be subject to some such imperfection, as concerns the first degree; to the end that he may conceive himself not to have fully obtained so much as that; and of the same doth Saint Gregory speak in many places.  
For this, do some very well compare Humility; and say that it respects other virtues, as the son doth other Stars; and that, for this reason, as when the Son appears, other stars lie hidden, and are concealed, so when Humility is in the soul, other virtues are not seen, and the humble man conceives, that he hath no solid virtue at all. Saint Gregory saith, Boni soli bona sua non vident, qui in se videnda omnibus ad exempla praebent. Their virtues being manifest to all men, only themselves see them not. The holy Scripture recounts of Moses, that when he came from speaking with God, he carried a great brightness in his face, which the Children of Israel saw but for his part, he saw it not. Ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies eius ex consortio sermonis domini. So the humble man, sees no virtues in himself: all that which he sees, seems faults, and imperfections, to him. Yea and he further believes, that the least part of his miseries, is that which he knows, and that he is ignorant of the greater, and now in the midst of this, it will be easy for him to esteem himself below all, and for the greatest sinner of the whole world.  
It is most certain, (to the end that we may conceal nothing) that as there are many several ways, whereby God i● wont to conduct his elect, so that h● leads many by this way, whereof w● have spoken, namely of concealing his gifts from them, so that themselves may not see them, nor conceive that they have them; but he manifests them to others, and makes them know them, to the end that they may esteem his servants & be pleased in them. And se saith, the Apostle Saint Paul: Nos autem non spiritum huius mundi accepimus, sed spiritum qui ex deo est, ut sciamus quae à Deo donata sunt nobis. We have not received the spirit of this world, but the spirit of God; that we may know the gifts and graces, which we receive from his hand. And the most sacred Queen of the Angels, did very well both know, and acknowledge, the great graces, and gifts, which she possessed and had received from Almighty God: Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, as she saith in her Canticle. My soul doth magnify, and exalt our Lord, because he who is omnipotent hath wrought mighty things in me. And this is not only not contrary to Humility, and perfection, but it is accompanied with an Humility so very much elevated, and so high, that for this reason the Saints are wont to style it, the Humility of great, and perfect men.  
But yet here, there is a great error, and danger, whereof we are advertised by the Saints, and it is when some think of themselves, that they have more graces of God, then indeed they have In which error was that miserable creature to whom God commanded this to be said in the Apocalypse; Dicis, diues sum, & locupletatus, & nullius egeo; & nescis quia tu es miser, & miserabilis, & pauper, & caecus, & nudus. Thou sayest that thou art rich, and that thou hast need of nothing, but thou dost not understand thine own case; for thou art miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. In the same error, was that Pharise who gave God thanks, that he was not like others, believing of himself, that he had what indeed he had not: and that therefore he was better than other men. And sometimes, this kind of Pride steals in upon us, so secretly, and with such disguise: that almost before we know where we are, we grow very full of ourselves, and of our own estimation. And for this, it is an excellent remedy, that we ever carry our eyes open towards the virtues of others, and shut up towards our own, and so to live ever in a holy kind of fear, whereby themselves will be more safe, and the gifts of God be better kept.  
But yet in fine, for as much as our Lord is not tied to this, he conducts his servants by several ways. Sometimes, as the Apostle Saint Paul saith, he will do his servants the particular favour, of making them know the gifts which they have received from his hand: And in this case, it seems that the thing in question, hath more difficulty, Namely, how these Saints, and spiritual men, who know and see in themselves, so great gifts which they have received from God, can with truth esteem themselves below all; and affirm of themselves with all, that they are the greatest sinners of the whole world. When our lord conducts a man by that other way of hiding his gifts, that so he sees no virtue in himself, but all his faults and imperfections: the difficulty is not so great; but in these others, how can it be? Notwithstanding all this, it may be very well. Be you humble like S. Francis, and you shall know how. His companion pressing to understand, how he could think and say so of himself with truth; that seraphical father made this answer. Really I understand it as I speak it, and I believe, that if God had showed those mercies and imparted those graces to any murdering thief, or to the greatest sinner in the whole world which he hath vouchsafed to me, he would have been much better, and much more grateful than I. And, on the other side, I conceive and believe, that if our Lord should take off his hand from me, and not hold me fast, I should commit greater sins and should prove the most wicked man in the whole world. And for this reason he saith, I am the greatest sinner, and the most ungrateful of all mer, And this is a very good answer, and a very profound Humility, and it carried doctrine in it, of admirable instruction. This knowledge and consideration, is that which made the Saints dive down so low under the earth, and cast themselves at the feet of all men, and really esteem themselves, for the greatest sinners of the whole world: for they had that root or Humility which is the knowledge of their own misery, and frailty, well planted and deeply rooted in their hearts: and they kn●w very well, how to penetrate and ponder both what they were, and what they had of themselves; and this made it easy for them to believe, that if God should not hold them fast, but once take of his hand, from their heads, they would have proved the greatest sinners of the world: and so they held themselves, for such. And as for those gifts and graces which they had received from God, they beheld them not, as any thing of their own, but as the goods of another, and only le●t to them. And not only did the having of all these gifts, not distract, or hinder them from remaining entire in their poorness, and baseness, or from esteeming themselves below all others, but it rather helped them on towards that end, because they thought they profitted, not thereby, as they ought to have done. So that, which way soever we turn our eyes, whether we cast them inward upon what we have of ourselves, or whether we cast them upward, upon what we have received of God; we shall find occasion enough to be humbled, and to esteem ourselves below all.  
Saint Gregory, to this purpose, ponders those words which David said to Saul, a●ter he might have killed him in the cave into which Saul had entered. And when Dau d spared his life, and let him go, he yet went after saying: Quem persequeris Rex Israel quem persequeris, Canem mortuum persequeris, & pulicem unum: Whom dost thou persecute O king of Israel? thou persecutest a dead dog and a single flea, as I am; The S. ponders it thus very well, David was already anointed for king, and had understood from the Prophett samuel, who anointed him, that God would take the kingdom from Saul; and give it him; and yet nevertheless, he humbles and lessens himself before him, though he know that God had preferred him, and that in the sight of God, he was a better man than Saul. Whereby we may learn, to esteem ourselves less, than them, of whom we know not, in what condition or degree they stand, in the presence of Almighty God.   

That this third degree of Humility is a good means, to overcome all temptations, and to obtain the perfection of all the virtues. CHAPTER XXXV.  
CASSIANUS saith, that it was a tradition of those ancient fathers, & as it were the first principle amongst them: that a man could not obtain purity of hart, and the perfection of virtue, if first he did not conceive and know, that all his industry, diligence, and labour, would not be sufficient for that purpose, without the especial favour & help of God, who is the prime author and giver of all good things. And he saith more over, that this knowledge of his, must not be only speculative, and because we have heard it or read it, or because it is a doctrine of Faith; but we must know it practically and by experience, and be so convinced, so resolved, and settled in this truth, as if we saw it with our eyes, & touched it with our hands: and this is literally the third degree of Humility whereof now we treat. And of this kind of Humility it is, that the authorities of holy Scripture speak, and which promise so great and even innumerable blessings to such as are humble. And for this reason, the Saints assign it for the last, and most perfect degree of Humility, and say, That it is the foundation of all virtue, and the preparation or disposition for receiving all kind of graces, and gifts from God. And Cassianus, prosecuting this point more in particular, saith concerning Chastity, that no endeavour of ours, will serve for the obtaining thereof, till we certainly understand, that it is not to be had, but from the liberality and mercy of Almigthie God. And Saint Augustine agrees very well herewith. For the first and chief means, which he delivers for the acquiring and conserving the gift of Chastity, is Humility; that so we may not think, that our own diligences will suffice for this: for if we rely and rest upon them, we deserve to lose it. But we must know, that it is the gift of God, and that it must come to us from above, and that we must place our whole confidence in him. And so one of those old Fathers said, that a man would be tempted with carnal thoughts, till he come to know very well, that Chastity is the gift of our lord: and no acquisition of our own. Palladius confirms this, by the example of Abbot Moses; who having been a man of a strange corporal strength, as alsoe of a most vicious mind, was converted afterward to God, with his whole heart. At the first, he was grievously tempted, especially concerning impurity: and by the advice of those Fathers, he employed his best means to overcome it. He prayed so long, as that he passed six years in prayer, yea and spent the greatest part of the whole nights in prayer, remaining still upon his feet. He used much handy labour: he eat nothing but bread; and that in smalle quantity: he went carrying water to the old Monks in their Cells, and used many other greater mortifications and austerityes. But yet, with all this, he came not to be free from his temptations; but was even set on fire by them; and was sometimes in danger to fall, and to leave the institute of a Monk. Being then in this trouble, the holy Abbott Isidorus came to him: and told him on the part of God, that for that time forweard, his temptations should cease in the name of JESUS CHRIST our Lord; and so they did, and never set upon him more. And the Saint, by way of declaring the cause, adds this; that till then, God had not given complete victory to Abbot Moses, lest he should have grown vain and proud; as conceiving that he had conquered by his own strength: and therefore that God had, till then, permitted it for his greater good. Moses' had not yet obtained the gift of distrusting himself: and now to the end that he might obtain it, and not grow proud by confiding in himself, God left him so long a time, and he obtained not by so many and so great endeavours, the complete victory over this passion, which others by diligence had obtained.  
The like, did Palladius relate to have happened to the Abbot Pacon; for even whilst he was seaventy years old, he was very much molested by unclean temptations: and he saith, that the other affirmed it to him, with an oath, that after he was fifty years old, the combat had been so usual, and so very fierce, as that there had not passed either one day or night, in all that time, wherein he had not been tempted to that sin. He did very extraord nary things to free himself from these temptations: but they did not serve the turn. And lamenting one day, and even half fearing, that our lord had forsaken him, he heard a voice which interiorly said thus to him: know, that the cause why god hath permitted this sharp assault to be made against thee, that been to the end, that thou mightst know thine own poverty, and misery, and the little or nothing which thou hast of thyself; and therefore see that thou humble thyself hereafter, and conside not in thyself at all; but, in all things, have recourse for help to me. And he saith, that he was so comforted by this instruction, that he never felt that temptation again. In fine, the will of our Lord is, that we put all our confidence in him, and that we distrust ourselves, with all our own diligences, and means.  
This is the doctrine not only of Saint Augustine, Cassian, and those ancient Fathers, but of the holy Ghost himself; and that in those very terms, whereby we have expressed it here. The wise man, in the book of wisdom, sets expressly down, both the Theory and the practice of this point in these words. Et ut scivi quoniam aliter non possem esse continens, nisi deus det, & hoc ipsum erat sapientia, scire cuius esset hoc donum, adij Dominum & deprecatus sum illum, ex totis precordijs meis. When I know (saith Solomon) that I could not be continent, but by the spiritual gift of God. Now Continent is here, the general word, which embraces not only the containing, or restraining that passion which is against Chastity, but all the other passions alsoe, which rebel against reason. And that other place also of Ecclesiasticus, Omnis autem ponderatio, digna est continentis animae. No weight of gold, is able to go in balance with a continent soul. No precious thing, is so much worth as the person, who is continent. He means, that kind of man, who entirely contains all his affects, and appetites, that they may not pass beyond the bounds of reason. And now, saith Solomon, knowing that I could not contain these passions, and powers, both of my body and soul, within the moderation of virtue and truth, without the especial gift of God: but that sometimes they would exceed (the knowledge whereof is a high point of wisdom) I had recourse to our lord, and begged this gift of him, with my whole hart. So that, in fine, this is the only means, whereby a man may become continent: and may be able to continue continent, to restrain and govern our passions and bind them to the good behaviour, and to obtain victory over all temptations, and the perfection of all virtues. And so the Prophet understood it rightly, when he said: Nisi Dominus aedificaverit Domum, in vanum laboraverunt qui adificant eam. Unless our lord build the house, he labours in vain who desires to build it. Nisi Dominus custodierit Civitatem, frustra vigilat qui custodit eam. If our lord do not guard the City, he labours in vain who seeks to guard it. It is he who must give us all good things, and when he hath given them, must conserve them to us; or else all our labour will be lost.   

That Humility is not contrary to Magnanimity; but rather that it is the foundation and cause Thereof. CHAPTER XXXVI.  
SAint Thomas, treating of the virtue of Magnanimity, makes this question. On the one side the Saints say, yea and the holy Scripture alsoe saith, that Humility is very necessary for us, and with all, that Magnanimity is alsoe necessary; especially for such, as exercise high ministeries, and live in high place. Now these two virtues seem to be contrary in themselves, because Magnanimity is a greatness of mind to attempt, and enterprise great, and excellent things, which in themselves may be worthy of honour, and both the one and the other, seem to be contrary to Humility. For, as for the first, which is to enterprise grea●e things, this seems not to suit well with this virtue, because one of the degrees of Humility, which the Saints assign, is, Ad omnia indignum, & inutilem, se confiteri, & credere. To confess, and hold himself, unworthy, and unprofitable for all things; and now for a man to attempt that for which he is not fit, seems to be presumption, and pride. And as for the second point, which is to enterprise things of honour, it seems alsoe to be contrary, because the true humble man, must be very fare from desiring honour, & estimation. To this Saint Thomas answers very well, and says, that although in appearance, and by the exterior sound of the words, these two virtues may seem to be contrary, between themselves: yet in effect and truth, one virtue cannot be contrary to another; & in particular, he saith concerning these two virtues of Humility, and Magnanimity, that if we will attentively cast our eyes upon the truth, and substance of the thing we shall not only find that they are not contrary, but that they are direct Sisters, and depend much upon one another. And this he declares very well, because as for the first, which is to enterprise and attempt great things, which is proper to the magnanimous person, it is not only contrary to the humble man: but rather is very proper to him, and he who is the one, may well do the other. If confiding in our own diligence, and strength, we should undertake great things, it might be presumption, and pride, because we may not undertake things either great or small, in the confidence of our own strength, for as much as, of ourselves, we are not able to have one good thought, as S. Paul saith. Non quod sufficientes simus cogitare aliquid à nobis, quasi à nobis. But the firm foundation of this virtue of Magnanimity, to attempt and enterprise great things, is to be by distrusting ourselves, & all humane endeavours, and to put our whole confidence in God; and this doth Humility alsoe, and therefore do the Saints call it, the foundation of all the virtues, as we said before because it opens the soil, and sounds deep into the very bottom, and takes out all the sand and lose stuff, till at length it arrive to that living rock, which is Christ our Lord, that so we may build there upon.  
The glorious Saint Bernard upon that place of the Canticles. Quae est ita quae ascendit de deserto, delicijs affluens, innixa super dilectum suum: Who is this, which rises up from the desert, abounding in delights, and leaning upon her beloved, goes declaring how all our virtue our strength, and all our good works, are to rely and rest upon our beloved, and he brings for an example, that of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, Gratia autem Dei sum id quod sum; & gratia eius in me vacua non fuit, sed abundantius illis omnibus laboravi. The Apostle begins to recount his labours, & how much he had done in the preaching of the Gospel, and in the service of the Church, till at length he came to say, that he had laboured more than the rest of the Apostles. Saint Bernard saith, Take heed what you say O holy Apostle. To the end that you may be able to say this, yea and to the end that you may not lose it: Innitere super dilectum tuum▪ rely upon your beloved. Non ego autem sed gratia Dei mecum. Now he relies upon his beloved. Not I, but the grace of God in me. And writing to the Philippians, he saith omnia possum, I can do all things: and then instantly he leaves upon his beloved. In eo qui me confortat: In him who comforts me. In God we shall be able to do all things: by his grace we shall be of power to do all things. This must be the foundation of our magnanimity, and of our greatness of mind. And this is that, which the Prophett Esay saith, Qui sperant in domino mutabunt fortitudinem. They who distrust themselves, and put their whole confidence in God shall change their strength. For they shall change their strength of men, which is mere weakness, for the strength of God: they shall change their arm of flesh and blood, for the arm of our lord: and so they shall have strength for all things, for they shall be able to do all things in God. And therefore did Saint Leo the Pope say, Nihil arduum humilibus, nihil asperum mitibus. The truly humble man, is he who is magnanimous, courageous and hardy to enterprise, and attempt great things: or rather nothing will be hard to him, because he confides not in himself, but in God, and looking up to him, and relying upon him, he contemns all dangers. In Deo faciemus virtutem, & ipse ad nihilum deducet inimicos nostros. In God we can do all things. This is that, whereof we here have much need, a great and courageous mind and a great confidence in God, and not a weak hart which takes away our appetite from doing our duties. So that in ourselves, we must be humble, as knowing that of ourselves we are nothing; we can do nothing, & we are good for nothing; but in God and in his power, and grace, we are to be strong hearted, towards the enterprising of great things. S. Basill declares this very well, upon those words of the Pro Esay, Ecce ego, mitte me. God was resolved to send one to preach to his people, and for as much as he is pleased to work things in us with our good will & consent, he said, & said it so as that Esay might here him: Qu●m mittam, & quis ibit vobis? Whom shall I send, and who will go with a good will? To this the Prophet answers, Ecce ego, mitte me. O Lord here I am if you will be pleased to send me. Saint Basill ponders very well that he said not Lord I will go, and I can dispatch this business, for he was humble and knew his own weakness well, and saw that it was boldness to promise for himself, that he would perform so great a work which overcame his strength: but he said Lord here I am ready, and willing to receive that which you shall be plase to give; do you send me, for upon your warrant I will go. As if he had said, for my part I have no ability for so high a ministry as that, but you are able to make me sufficient, you can put words into my mouth, which will have power to make a change in the hearts of men. If you send me, I may well go; for going in your name, I shall be able to perform the work. Then God said to him Vade Go, See here, saith Saint Basill, how the Prophett Esay, took his degree for being a preacher, and an Apostle of God: because he could answer very well in the doctrine of Humility, and attributed not his going to himself, but acknowledging his own insufficiency, and weakness, he placed all his confidence in God, believing he could do all things in him, and that if God sent him, he might go. For this reason, God gave him the charge, & bade him go, & so made him his preacher, Ambassador, & Apostle. This is to be our strength and our magnanimity, for the enterprising and undertakeinge great things. Be not therefore disanimated, or dismayed, when you consider your own insufficiency, and weakness. Noli dicere puer sum, saith God to the Prophett jeremy: Quoniam ad omnia quae mittam te, ibis, & universa quae mandavero tibi, loqueris. Do not say, that thou art a Child, and that thou knowest not how to speak, for thou shalt go and speak, about that, for which I will send thee: and thou shalt do all that which I command thee. Ne timeas a fancy eorum, quia tecum ego sum. Fear not, for I will be with thee. So that, for as much as concerns this part of Humility, not only it is not Contrary to magnanimity, but rather it is the foundation, and root thereof.  
The second point, which belongs to the magnanimous person, is to desire to do great things, and that in themselves, they may be worthy of honour. But this alsoe is not contrary to Humility, because as Saint Thomas saith very well: although the magnanimous person desire to do such things, yet he desires it not, for humane honour, nor is this his end. He will take care indeed to deserve it, but not either to procure, or esteem it. Nay rather he hath a heart, which so truly despised both honour, and dishonour, that he holds nothing to be great, but virtue, and for love thereof, he is moved to do great things, despising the honour which men can give. For virtue is a thing so high, that it cannot be honoured or rewarded sufficiently by men, and deserves to be honoured and rewarded by Almighty God, and therefore the magnanimous person, values not all the honours of the world at a straw. It is a mean thing, and of no price at all with him, his flight is higher. For the only love of God, and virtue, is he invited to do great things, and he despises all the rest. Now then, for the having of a hart which is so great, so generous, such a despiser of the honour, and dishonour of men, such as the magnanimous person ought to have, it is necessary that he have alsoe much Humility. To the end that a man may arrive to so great perfection, as to be able to say with Saint Paul, Scio & humiliar●, Scio & abundare: ubique, & in omnibus institutus sum, & satiari & esurire, & abundare & penuriam pati. I know how to carry myself in humiliation, and in abondance of prosperity, and as well in hunger, as full diet. Per gloriam & ignobilitatem, per infamiam & bonam famam: ut seductores & veraces, sicut qui ignoti & cogniti, quasi morientes, & ecce vivimus. To the end that so stiff and so contrary winds, as they of honour and dishonour, of praise and murmuring, of favours and persecutions, may cause no change in us, nor make us stumble, or shrink, but that we may still remain in our own being, it is necessary to have a great foundation of Humility, and of wisdom from heaven. I know not whether you will be able, to keep yourself free, for the doing of all good works, when you are in abundance, like the Apostle S. Paul. As for suffering poverty begging, going in pilgrimage, and to be humble in the midst of dishonours, and affronts, this perhaps you will be able to do. But to be humble in honours, chairs, pulpits, and the higher sort of ministeries, I know not whether you will be able. Alas those Angels once of heaven, knew not how to do this; but they grew proud and fell. Even Boetius could say. Cum omnis fortuna timenda sit, magis tamen timenda est prospera quam adversa. It is harder for a man to conserve himself in Humility, in honour, and estimation of the world, and in high employments, and ministeries, then in dishonour, contempt, and in the discharge of places, which are mean and poor, for these things draw Humility, after them, and those others vanity and pride. Scientia inflat: knowledge, and all other high things, do naturally puff us up, and make us giddy, and therefore the Saints say, that it is the Humility of great and perfect men, to know how to be humble, amongst the great gifts and graces which they receive from God, and amongst the honours and estimations of the world.  
They relate a thing of the B. Sain● Francis, which seems very different from that other of his treading mortar, that s● he might avoid that honour, when with they were going out to receiu● him. For passing once into a Countr● town, they did him much honour, for the opinion and estimation which they held of his sanctity, and they all came to kiss his habit, and his hands, and feet, to all which he made no resistance. His companion was inclined to think, that he was glad of that honour, and the temptation did so fare overcome him, that at length he acquainted him with it: and the Saint made him this answer. This people, my good brother, performs no honour at all in comparison of what they ought to show. His companion was then more scandalised, than he had been before, for he knew not what to make of this answer, but the saint then said: This honour, my good brother which you see them do me, I attribute not to myself but leave it all to God whose it is: myself still remaining in the same profounditie of mine own baseness: and they, for their parts, get well by doing it, because they acknowledge and honour God in his creature. His companion then remained satisfied, and admired the perfection of the Saint, and he did so with great reason. For to be held, and honoured for a Saint, which ●s the highest estimation, and honour, whereof any creature is capable, and to know how to give God the glory of it, as he ougth, without ascribing any thing to himself, and without the sticking of any thing to his hands, and without takeing any vain contentment therein, but remaining so entirely in his Humility, and baseness, as if no such thing had passed, and as if the honour had not been given to him, but to some other, is a most profound Humility, and a most high perfection.  
We must therefore procure to arrive to this Humility, by the grace of our Lord, we I say, who are called, not to the end that we should be shut up in corners, or be hidden under a bushel, but set up on high like a City upon a hill, or like a taper upon a Candle stick, to shine and give light to the world For which purpose it will be necessary for us, to lay a very good foundation; and, for as much as is on our part, to have great desire to be disesteemed, and despised; and that this may flow out of a profound knowledge of our own misery our baseness, and our nothing, such as Saint Francis had, when he put himself to tread mortar, that so he might be held for some mean fool. From which profound knowledge of himself that desire grew of being despised: and from thence alsoe it followed, that when afterward they did him honour, and kissed his habit, and his feet, he grew not proud with all this, nor valued himself one hair the more, but he remained so fixed in the knowledge of his Humility, and meannes, as if they had done him no honour at all, ascribing and referring it all to God. And so, though these woe acts of Saint Francis, seem to be ●oe contrary to one another, they yet proceeded from the same root, and from the self same spirit of Humility.   

Of the great benefits, and advantages which are in this third degree of Humility. CHAPTER XXXVII.  
TVA sunt omnia & quae de manu tua accepimus, dedimus tibi. After king David had prepared much gold, and silver, and many rich materials, for the building of the Temple, he offered them up to God, and said these words. All things, O Lord, are thine, and that which we have received at thy hands, that do we render and return again. This is that, which we must do and say, in all our good works. O Lord all our good works are thine, and so we return what thou hast given us. saint Augustine saith very well, Quisquis tibi enumerat merita sua, quid tibi enumerat nisi munera tua! He who puts himself to recount his merits, and the services which he hath done thee, of what other thing doth he tell thee O Lord, but of the benefits, and gifts which he hath received from thy holy hand. This is an effect of thy infinite mercy, and goodness towards us, to qualify thine own benefits, and gifts to us, to be as new merits of ours: and so when thou payest us for our services, thou rewardest thine own benefits, and for one grace of thine, thou givest us another, and for one favour another. Gratiam pro gratia; Our Lord is content to proceed with us, like another joseph, by giving us not only corn, but he will give us alsoe the price; and money which it cost. Gratiam & gloriam dabit Dominus; All is God's gift, and all must be ascribed, and returned to him.  
One of the great helps & benefits, which is to be reaped, by this third degree of Humility, is that it is the good, and true gratitude, & thanks giving, for the benefits which we have received at the hand of God. It is well known how highly the giving of thanks, and gratitude is recomended and esteemed in holy Scripture; since we see that when our Lord vouchsafed any remarkable benefit to his people, he instantly ordained that some memory or feast of thanksgiving should be instituted: because gratitude doth much import us, towards the receiving of new graces and favours. Now this is very well effected, by this third degree of Humility, which consists as hath been said, in that a man attribute nothing to himself, but all to God; and to give him the glory of all. For in this consists true gratitude, and giving of thanks; and not in saying with the tongue, O Lord I give thee thanks for thy benefits, though yet we must all praise and give God thanks, with the tongue. But if you shall do it with the tongue alone, it will not be to give thanks, but to say thanks. But now to the end that it may not only be saying of thanks, & not only with the mouth: but with the hart and in deed, it will be necessary for us to acknowledge, that all the good we have is of God, and that we must ascribe and return it all to him, giving him thanks for it all, & retaining to ourselves no part thereof: for in this sort, a man strips himself of that honour, w●ich he sees to be none of his own, and he gives it to God whose it is. And this did Christ our lord intent to make us know, in the holy Gospel, when having cured those Lepers, and one only returning to give him thanks for the benefit, which they had all received, he said thus: Non est inventus qui rediret, & daret gloriam deo, nisi hic alienigena. There is none who hath returned, and given glory to God, but this stranger. And when God admonished the people of Israel, that they must be grateful, and not forget the benefits which tey had received, he gave them this aduertissement; Obserua & cave, ne quando obliviscaris Domini Dei tui, & elevetur cor tuum, & non reminiscaris Domini Dei tui, qui eduxit te de terra Aegypti. Take heed that you forget not God, when you shall be in the land of promise, in great prosperity of temporal goods, of houses, lands and stock, take heed that your hearts be not then puffed up, and that you become not ungrateful and say, that you have obtained it by your own wisdom, and strength; Fortitudo mea, & robur manus meae, haec mihi omnia praestiterunt. This is to forget God, and this is the greatest ingratitude into which a man can fall, to ascribe the gifts of God to himself. Take heed you have not once a thought of any such thing as this. Sed recorderis Domini Dei tui, quod ipse vires tibi tribuerit, ut impleret pactum suum. But see that you remember God, & acknowledge that the strength was his, and that he fortified you in all things: and this, not for any desert of yours, but only to comply with the promise, which of himself he had frankly made, to your forefathers This is the gratitude, and rendering of praise: wherewith our Lord God will be honoured, for the benefits and favours which he imparts to us. Sacrificium laudis honorificabit me. This is that▪ ●egi saeculorum immortali & invisibili solideo honour & gloria, whereof Saint Paul speaks, that God only have the glory of all.  
From hence alsoe grows another benefit, and good, that the true humble man, though he have many gifts of God, and be much esteemed and valued by the whole world for them, doth not yet esteem and value himself, one hair the more, for that: but remains so firm in the knowledge of his own baseness, as if none of that which they ascribed, were to be found in him. For he knows very well, how to distinguish that which is his own, from that which belongs to another: and to assign to every one his own: and so he behoulds the benefits and graces which he hath received from God, not as his own, but as another's; by whom they were lent, and he alsoe lodges his eyes upon his own baseness, and misery, and upon that which he would not sail to be, if God should take off his hand, even for one minute, and were not ever conserving, and holding him up. Yea and even whilst he is receiving the gifts of God, he is the more humbled and confounded thereby. Saint Dorotheus saith, that as it happens with trees, which are mightily loaden with fruit, the same very fruit makes the boughs stoop, and abase themselves; and that, sometimes so fare, as to break them with their great weight, whereas the boughs which bear no fruit remain perking up, and high; and as ears of corn, when they are very full, hang down their heads, so fare that they seem, as if they would even break the stalk, whereon they grow: and when they stand bolt up right, it is a shrewd sign that they have nothing in them; so it happeneth, saith he, in the way of spirit, that they who are empty, and without fruit, look big, and lofty, and hold themselves for gallant men: but they, on the other side, who are much loaden with fruit, and are full of the graces, and gifts of God, are the more humbled and confounded thereby. For even from those very benefits, and gifts, the true servants of God, take occasion to be the more humbled, & to walk with the more wariness and fear. S. Gregory saith, that as a man who hath borrowed great sums of money, is glad in such sort, that he hath borrowed it, as that yet his joy of having received it, is very sufficiently watered, by the knowing that he is in obligation to pay it again; and care, to consider, whether he shall be able to comply when his bond is due; so the man who is truly humble, the more gifts he hath received, he acknowledges himself to be so much the more deeply a debtor, to Almighty God, and so much the more bound to serve him; and he is still thinking, that he corresponds not to those greater favours, by grater services, nor to greater graces by greater thanks; and he conceives and believes, that to whom soever God would have s●●wed that goodness, which he had showed to him, that man would have made better use of it, and would have been more grateful, and a better man. And so, one of the considerations which makes the true servants of God to be very much humbled and confounded is this; They know that God will not only call them to an account for their sins committed, but for his favours alsoe received: and they know that to whom God gives much, from him he will require much and to whom he gives more, of him he will alsoe require more, Omni autem cui multum datum est, multum queretur ab eo, & cui commendaverunt multùm, plus petent ab eo. The Abbott Macarius saith, that the humble man looks upon the gifts and favours of God, as some depositary or treasurer would do, who had his Master's goods in his hands; for such a one will rather be in fear and care, then in pride, lest some what should, by his fault be lost, when they call him to make up his accounts.  
From hence alsoe grows yet another good, which is, that the man who is truly humble, disesteemes or despises no other man, into what soever defects and sins he may perhaps see him fall, nor will he thereby grow proud, or esteem himself the more, for that; but rather will take occasion thereby, to humble himself the more by having seen him fall, through the consideration that the other, and himself, are both made of the same mould, and that when the other falls, he alsoe falls, for as much as he is in himself. For, as Saint Augustine saith, there is no sin which is committed by any one, which another man would not, or might not commit, if the hand of God's mercy withheld him not. And so one of those ancient Fathers, when he heard that any man had fall'n, was wont to weep bitterly, and say, Ille hodie, & ego cras. To day for him, and to morrow for me. As he fell, I might as well have salne, since I am a weak man as he is. Homo sum, & humanum nihil a me alienum puto I must esteem it, as a most particular blessing of our lord, that I fell not too. Thus do all the Saints advice us, that whensoever we see one man blind, another deaf, another lame, another maimed, or sick: we must esteem all those miseries of theirs, to be benefits of ours, & give thanks to God, for not having made us blind, or deaf, or lame, or maimed, as he made him. And so also must we make account, that the sins of all other men, are as so many benefits of our own, for I might have committed them all, if our Lord out of his infinite mercy, had not defended me. By this means, the servants of God preserve themselves in Humility, and in not despising their neighbours, and in not carrying themselves high against others: for whatsoever faults or sins they discern in them, according to that of Saint Gregory, Vera iustitia compassionem habet, falsa iustitia dedignationem; true justice m●kes us have compassion of our neighbours, and false justice disdain and scorn. But such men as these, have reason to be afraid of that, which Saint Paul saith, Considerans ●e ipsum, ne & tu tenteris; I pray God they come not to be tempted, in that very thing which they condemn in others: and that, at length, they find not to their cost, how great that misery is, which uses to be the punishment of this sin. In three things said one of those ancient Fathers, have I judged others, and myself fell into them all:  sciant gentes quoniam homines sunt. To the end that we may know, by experience, that ourselves alsoe are but men, and that we may learn, neither to judge, nor despise any man.   

Of the great mercies and favours, which God shows to the humble, and why he exalts them so high. CHAPTER XXXVIII.  
VEnerunt mihi omnia bona, pariter cum illa. These are the words of Solomon concerning divine wisdom, which say, that all good things come with it. But yet, we may well apply them to Humility, and say that all good things come to us thereby; since the same wise man saith, that where Humility is, there alsoe is wisdom. Vbi est Humilitas, ibi & Sapientia. And in another place, he saith, that to have this Humility is supreme wisdom. And the Prophet David saith, that God gives wisdom to the humble; Sapientiam praestans paruulis. But besides this, we are taught this truth, in express terms both in the old, and new Testament; where great blessings and graces are promised to them, by Almighty God; sometimes by the name of the humble: at other times, of little ones, and sometimes of the poor of spirit for by these, and such other names are they, who are truly humble, called▪ Ad quem autem respiciam, nisi ad pauperculum, & contritum spiritu, & trementem sermones meos, saith God, by the Prophett Esay. Upon whom shall I look and towards whom shall I cast mine eyes but to the humble, and poor little creature who is even trembling, and confounding himself in my presence. Upon these doth God cast his eyes, to do them favour, and even to fulfil them with benedictions. And the glorious Apostles Saint Peter, and Saint james, in their Canonical Epistles say, Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam. God resists the proud, and gives his grace to the humble. We are alsoe taught the same, by that most sacred Queen of Angels, in her Canticle, Deposuit potentes de sede, & exaltavit humiles esurientes implevit bonis, & divites dimisit inanes. Our Lord abases the proud & exalts the humble: he fills the hungry with good things, but he suffers them who think themselves rich, to return empty. And this is that, which the Prophett had said before: Quoniam tu populum humilem, saluum facies, & oculos superborum humiliabis: and that also which Christ our Lord said in the holy Gospel, Quia omnis qui se exaltat humiliabitur, & qui se humiliate, exaltabitur. He who exalts himself shall be humbled. and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. As the waters run down the valleys, Qui emittis fontes in convallibus, so the raines of God's grace, fall down upon the humble. And as valleys use to abound with fruit, by reason of the much wather which is assembled there: Et valles abundabunt frumento: so they, who are low and humble in his sight, use to yield much fruit, through the many gifts and graces, which they receive from God. Saint Augustine saith, that Humility draws down the most high God to itself. Altus est Deus, humilias te, & descendit ad te: erigis te, & fugit à te. God is high, and if you humble yourselves, he will descend to you, but if you grow proud and exalt yourselves, he will fly from you. Quare? Quoniam exelsus est, & humilia respicit, & alta, à longè cognoscit. Will you know why, saith Saint Augustine, Because (as we are taught by the Royal Prophett) God is a high and sovereign Lord, and he looks upon such as are humble: and his looking upon them, is to fill them with all good things: but he saith, that God sees the proud from fare off, because, as when here, we see a man fare off, we know him not, so doth God not know the proud, in order to show them any favour. Amen dico vobis, nescio vos. I tell you for a certain truth, saith God, to wicked and proud people, that I know you not. Saint Bonaventure saith, that as when wax is soft, it is ready to receive any impression, which men will make therein, so doth Humility dispose your souls to receive virtue and grace from God. When joseph invited his brethren, the youngest of them all, had the best part.  
But let us now look after the cause, why God raises the humble so high, and is pleased to do them so great favour. It is, because all his goods do thus come back again to himself. For the humble man carries nothing away, and attributes nothing to himself: but intyrely ascribes and restores all to God, and gives him the honour, and glory of all. Quoniam magna potentia solius, & ab humilibus honoratur. Such as these, saith God, may very well be trusted with our goods: we may well put our riches and blessings into their hands, for they are safe persons, and will not rise and run a way with them: and so God proceeds with them, as in a case merely his own; because all the honour and glory is still his. Even here we see, that a great Lord or king, holds it for a point of greatness, to raise a man sometimes, out of the very dust of the earth (as we use to say) who before was nothing, and who had nothing; for so is the bounty and greatness of that king, the more visibly perceived, and they say afterward, that he was the creature, of such a one. Thus saith the Apostle Saint Paul: Habemus thesaurum istum in vasis fictilibus, ut sublimitas sit virtutis Dei, & non ex nobis. We have the treasure of the graces, and gifts of God, in pots of clay, to the end that the world may know, that the treasure is Gods and not ours: for clay breeds no such commodity as that. So that for this, doth God exalt the humble, and show them so many favours: and for this doth he leave proud men empty: because the proud man confides much in himself, and in his own diligences and ways, and ascribes much to himself, and takes a vain contentment in the good success of his business, as if it had been dispatched by his own industries and pains, and all this, takes some what from God, and steals away that honour and glory, which is proper to his divine Majesty. As soon as we have once made some little entrance into the use of Prayer with any little devotion, any little tear, which we shed, we conceive that already we are grown to be spiritual, and men of prayer. And sometimes we will be also preferring ourselves, before others and we will think that they have not profited so much, nor are grown so spiritual as we. For this reason, our lord doth us no greater favours; and sometimes he takes that from us which he had given us; lest the good should to us, be an occasion of ill, and least health should be turned into sickness, and treacle into poison: and so his benefits and gifts, should prove to our condamnation through our ill use thereof: as to the sick man of a weak stomach, though the meat be good, yet they must give him but little of it, because he hath not strength to digest more, and if they gave him more, it would corrupt and be converted into ill humour. That Oil of the Prophett Elizeus, never gave over to run, till such time as vessels were wanting, wherein it might be received: but then the holy Scripture saith, Stetitque oleum, Instantly the oil forbore to run. Now such is the oil of the mercy of God, which, in itself, is not limited: for the graces and mercies of God, have no lymitts at all, on his part. Non est abreviata manus domini. God hath not straightened, or closed his hand, nor is his nature changed; for God is neither changed, nor can change, but ever remains in his own nature, and hath more desire to give, than we to take. The fault is on our side, who want empty vessels to receive the oil of the graces, and mercies of God. We are very full of ourselves, and put much trust in our own endeavour. Humility, and the knowledge of our own weakness, empties the house, and takes a man off from himself, and makes him distrust himself, and all humane helps, and ascribe nothing to himself, but all to God; and to such men as these, God shows his favours with full hands. Humiliare Deo, & expecta manus eius.   

How much it imports us to betake ourselves to Humility, to supply thereby, whatsoever is wanting to us in virtue, and perfection, and to the end that God may not humble us, by punishing us. CHAPTER XXXIX.  
THe blessed Saint Bernard saith: Stultus est, qui confidit nisi in sola humilitate, quia apud Deum, ius habere non possumus, quoniam in multis offendimus omnes. A very stupid fool is he, who confides in any thing but Humility: for alas, we have all sinned, and offended God, many ways: and so we can plead right to nothing, but punishment. If man, saith job, will enter into judgement with God: Non poterit respondere ei unum pro mille: he cannot answer one for a thousand. To a thousand accusations he will not be able to give one good discharge. Quid ergo restat, nisi ad humilitatis remedia, tota ment consurgere, & quicquid in alijs minus habemus, de ea supplere. What then remains, saith he, and to what other remedy shall we have recourse, but only to retire ourselves towards Humility: and to supply by that, the want, which we may have of other things. And because this is a remedy of much importance, the saint repeats it many times, both in these, and other words: Quicquid vero minus est feruoris, humilitas suppleat purae confessionis. Let that which is wanting to you in the purity of your conscience be supplied by your being ashamed of yourselves: and let that which is wanting to you in fervour, and perfection, be made up by your confusion. And Saint Dorotheus saith, that Abbot john recommended this very much; and said Humiliemus nos paulisper, ut salutem anima nostrae con●equamur; &, si propter imbecillitatem laborare non possumus, humiliare saltem nos ipsos studeamus. Brethren, since we cannot, through our weakness, work, and labour so much as we would: yet let us humble ourselves at least, and by this means I hope that we shall here after be able to find ourselves, in society with them who have wrought hard. And when, after you have commited many sins, you shall find yourselves disabled to do much penance, for want of health, walk you quietly on, by the plain and even way of Humility, for so you will meet with a most convenient means for your salvation. If you think you be not able to enter into Prayer, enter at least into your own confusion: if you conceive that you have no talent for important things, procure to get Humility, for by this, you shall supply for all those things.  
Let us therefore consider here, how little our Lord asks of us, and with how little he contents himself. He desires, that according to our baseness, we would know, and humble ourselves. If God should ask of us great fasts, great penance, great contemplation, some men might excuse themselves, and say, that they had no strength for the one, and no talent or ability for the other. Sed num humiliare nos ipsos, non possumus? but for the not humbling ourselves, we have no reason or excuse to allege. You cannot say, that you have not health to be humble, or that you have no talent or ability for that. Nihil facilius est volenti, quam humiliare semetipsum, saith Saint Bernard: there is nothing more easy, then for a man to humble himself, if he have a mind to it. We can all do this, if we will, and we have matter enoug for it, to work upon, with in doors. Humilitas tua in medio tui. Let us therefore retire ourselves now at last, to Humility, and so let us supply with confusion, that which is wanting to us of perfection, and so we shall be able to move the bowels of God, to mercy and pardon. At least, since we are poor let us be humble too; and we shall give contentment to God, but to be poor and proud, will offend him much. Of three things, which the wise man sets down, to be much abhorred by Almighty God, this is the first. Pauperem superbum: Poor and proud, yea and even it is odious, alsoe, amongst men.  
But let us humble ourselves at least, least God humble us, for thus he is very ordinarily wont to do. Qui se exaltat humiliabitur. If therefore you will not have God humble you, take care to humble yourselves. This is a very principal point, and worthy to be considered, and pondered at great leisure. S. Gregory saith, Plerumque omnipotens dominus, rectorum mentes quamuis maiori ex parte perficit, imperfectos tamen in aliquibus esse permittit; ut licet veris virtutibus rutilent, imperfectionis suae taedio tabes●ant, & de magnis se non extollant, dum adhuc contra minima innitentes, labentur. Denique cum extra me vincere non valeant, de praecipuis actibus superbire non audeant. Do you know how much God love's Humility, and how greatly he abhors pride and presumption? He abhors it so much, that he permitts us first to fall into certain venial sins, and many little faults: to the end that he may teach us, that since we are not able to keep ourselves from little sins, and temptations, but that we still find ourselves to stumble, and daily to fall in mean things, and very easy to be withstood, we may be very certain, that in ourselves we have no means to avoid such as are greater: and that so we may not be proud, when there is question of great things, nor attribute any things to ourselves, but walk ever on with Humility, and fear, and beseech our lord to show us favour and grace. Saint Bernard saith the same, and it is the common doctrine of the Saints. Saint Augustine, upon those word●: Et sine ipso factum est nihil, and Saint Jerome, upon that of the Prophett joel: Et reddam vobis, avos quos comedit locusta, bruchus, & rubigo, & eruca, say that to humble a man, and to tame his pride, God created these little animals, and poor base worms which are so troublesome to us, and that the proud people of Pharaoh, might easily have been tamed and humbled, if God would have sent bears, Lions, and Serpents, in upon them; but he thought fit to tame their pride, by the basest sort of creatures, as gnatts, flies, and frogs, that he might humble them so much the more. And so also, to the end that we may be humbled, and confounded, God permitts us to fall into little faults; and gives way that some poor, and weak temptations, which are like gnats, and seem not, indeed to have any body, or bulk in them, may sometimes make war against us. If we will pause to consider attentively, what is wont sometimes to disquiet, and put us from our ease: we shall find that they are certain bawblinge things, which being sifted, and discovered well, have no substance in them at all. I know not what little word they said to me; or else they said it to me in such a manner: or me thought they made light of me, and the like. Of a fly which passes through the air, a man sometimes will build a whole tower of wind, and then adding one thing to another, it shall serve to make his hart very unquiet. What would then become of us, if God should let lose some Lion, or Tiger against us, when we are put into such disorder, by a gnatt? What would become of us, if we were set upon, by some grievous temptation! And thus are we to draw more Humility and confusion, out of such things as these. And if as S. Bernard saith, this be drawn from thence, Pia dispensatione nobiscum agitur, ut non paenitus auferantur. It is a great mercy and benefit and favour of God, that such toys as those, may not be wanting to us, and that this may be able to make us humble.  
But if these slight things will not serve the turn, then know, that God will pass further on, and that very much to your cost, for so he is accustomed to do. God, doth so highly abhor presumption, and pride, and love's Humility, so much, that the saints affirm, that he is wont, through his just and most secret judgement, to permit that a man may fall into mortal sins, to the end that he may be humbled thereby, yea and even into carnal sins which are the most ugly, and full of shame, to the end that they may be humbled the more. They say that he punishes secret pride, with open lust. And to this purpose they bring that which Saint Paul said of those Philosophers, whom for their pride, God delivered over to the desires of their hearts. In immunditiam, ut contumelijs afficiant corpora sua, in semetipsos, in passiones ignonimiaes. They came to fall into unclean sins, which were most filthy, and not to be named; God permitting it so for their pride, to the end that they might be humbled, and confounded, when they saw themselves turned beasts, with the heart, and conversation, and custom of beasts. Quis non timebit te O Rex gentium? Who will not be afraid of thee, O thou king of the Nations? who will not tremble at this punishment, which is so great as that there is none greater out of Hell? Nay sin is even worse than Hell. Q●is novit potestatem irae tuae & prae timore tuo iram tuam dinumerare. Who O lord hath known the power of thy wrath or who is able to relate it through the great fear which ought to be had thereof.  
The Saint's note, that God in these cases is wont to use two kinds of mercy towards us, a greater mercy and a less. The less mercy is, when he succours us in our less miseries, which are the temporal, and such as only concern the body; and the great mercy, is when he succours us in our great miseries, which are the spiritual, and which import the soul. And so when David saw himsel e in his great misery, of being abandoned and dispossessed of God, by the adultery and murder which he had committed, he cried out, and begs the great mercy of God: Miserere mei Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. They say alsoe that there is a great, and a little anger of God. The lesser is, when he punishes men here, in the Temporal, with adversities, in loss of goods, of honour, health, and the like, which only concern the body; but the great anger is, when the punishment goes so fare, that it arrives to the interior part of the soul, according to that of the Prophet jeremy, Ecce pervenit gladius usque ad animam. And this is that which God saith by the Prophett Zacharie. Ira magna ego irascor, super gentes opulentas. I will be angry, with my great Anger, with that Nation, which is proud and puffed up. When God forsakes a man, & permitts him to fall into mortal sins in punishment of his other sins, this is the great anger of God; these are wounds which are given by divine indignation, & they are not as of a father but as of a just and rigorous judge. Of which wounds, that of the Prophett jeremy, may be understood: Plaga inimici percussi te castigatione crudeli. I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with a cruel punishment. And so alsoe saith the wiseman. Fovea profunda o● leoenae, cui iratus est dominus incidet in eam. The mouth of a lewd woman, is a deep ditch, and he with whom God is angry, shall fall into it. Finally, pride is so wicked a thing, and so much abhorred by Almighty God, that the Saints say, that sometimes it is good for the proud man, to be thus punished by Almighty God: that so he may come to be cured of his pride. So saith Saint Augustine: Audeo dicere, superbis esse utile, ca lere in aliquod vitium apertum, manifestu● que peccatum, unde sibi displiceant, qui sibi iam ceciderant. I presume to say, that it is profitable and good, for proud men, that God permit them to fall into some visible and external sin, that so they who were very well satisfied and pleased in themselves and were already salne, though they perceived it not, may so begin to know, and to humble and distrust themselves, according to that of the wiseman: Contritio praecedit superbiam, & ante ruinam exaltatur spiritus. The same do Saint Basill, and Saint Gregory affirm. Saint Gregory, by the occasion of the sin of David, why God permitts that the elect, and such as he hath predestinated to ae●ernalle life, and on whom he had heaped up his graces, and gifts, should fall sometimes into carnal and filthy sins; and he answers that the reason of it is, because sometimes, they who have received great graces fall into pride, and they have it so rooted, and even wrought into the most intimous part of the hart; that they themselves understand it not, but are so well pleased, and confident of themselves, as to think that God and they, are all one. As it happened to Saint Peter, the Apostle, who conceived not, that those words of his, had flowed from pride, when he said, Though all men should be scandalised, yet will not I be scandalised: but he thought that it had been courage in him, and an extraordinary love which he carried to his Master. Therefore to cure such pride as this, which lies so close and is so disguised, as that a man is already fall'n, though himself perceive it not, our lord permitts sometimes, that such persons fall into certain manifest, exterior cornall filthy sins; to the end that so they may know themselves better, and look more exactly in to their souls: and may so come to perceive their pride, which they believed not to be in them before: and whereof they look for no remedy, & would so have come to perish, but now by means of such gross falls, they know it, and being humbled now in the sight of God, they do penance both for the one and the other, and so meet with remedy for both their miseries at once, as we see S. Peter did: who by that visible & apparent fall of his, came to know that pride which lay so secretly within, and he grew to lament it, and to do penance for them both: and thus was his fall good for him. The same happened also to David, who therefore saith, Bonum est mihi quia humiliasti me, ut discam iustificationes tuas. O Lord it hath cost me dear, I confess it, but yet, upon the whole matter, it hath been good for me that I have been humbled that so here after, I may learn to serve thee, and know how to abase myself as I ought. And as the wise Physician, when he is not able to cure the malady out right, and when the peccant humour is so rebellious, and malign, that he cannot make nature digest, and overcome it, procures to call and draw it into the exterior parts of the body, that so it may be the better cured: just so, for the cure of certain haughty and rebellious souls, doth our Lord permit them to fall into grievous & exterior sins, to the end that they may know, and humble themselves: and by means of that abasement which appears without, the malign and pestillent humour may be alsoe cured, which lay close within. And this is a word which God works in Israel, which whosoever comes to here, his very ears shall even tingle for mere fear: these I say, are those great punishments of God, the only hearing whereof, is able to make men tremble, from head to foot.  
But yet our Lord who is so full of benignity and mercy, doth never employ this so rigorous punishment, nor this so lamentable and unhappy remedy, but after having used other means, which were most gentle and sweet. He first sends us other occasions, and o●her more gentle inducements, that so we may humble ourselves. Sometimes sickness, sometimes a contradiction, sometimes a murmuration, and sometimes a dishonour, when a man is brought lower than he thought. But when these temporal things will not serve the turn to humble us, he passes on to the spiritual: and first, to things of less moment, and afterward by permitting fierce and grievous temptations, such as may bring us so within a hair's breadth, and even persuade us, or at least make us doubt, whether we consented or Noah. That so a man may see, and find by good experience, that he cannot overcome them by himself, but may experimentally understand his own misery, and the precise need which he hath of help from heaven: and so may come to distrust his own strength, and may humble himself. And when all this will not serve, then comes that other so violent, and so costly cure, of suffering a man to fall into mortal sin, and to be subdued by the temptation. Then comes this Canterie, which is made even by the very fire of Hell; to the end that after a man hath even as it were beaten out his brains, he may fall at length, upon the just examination, and knowledge of what he is and may at length be content to humble himself, by this means, since he would not be brought to do it by any other.  
By this time I hope we see well, how mightily it imports us, to be humble, and not to confide or presume upon ourselves, and therefore let every one enter into account with his own heart, and consider what profit he reaps, by those occasions which God daily sends, for the making him humble, in the quality of a tender hearted Physician, and of a Father, that so there may be no need of those other which are so violent. Chastise me, O Lord, with the Chastisement of a Father: cure thou my pride with afflictions, diseases, dishonours and affronts, and with as many humiliations as thou canst be pleased to send: but suffer not, O Lord, that I should ever fall into mortal sin. O Lord let the devil have power to touch me in point of honour, and in my health; and let him make another job of me: Verumtamen animam meam serua: but permit not that he may ever touch my soul. Upon Condition, that thou O Lord never part from me, nor permit me ever to part from thee, what soever tribulation may come upon me shall be sure to do me no hurt; but it shall rather turn to my good, towards the obtaining of Humility, which is so acceptable to thee.   

Wherein the discourse aforesaid is confirmed by some examples. CHAPTER XL.  
SEVERUS Sulpitius, and Surius, in the life of Saint Severinus the Abbot, relates of a certain man, who was very remarkable both for his virtues and miracles, that he gave health to sick persons and dispossessed men of devils, and did many other wonderful things; for which they flocked to him from all parts, and he was visited by Prelates, and great lords; yea and they held it for a point of happiness, if they might but touch even his : and if he would give them his benediction. By the use of these things, the Saint began to perceive, that a certain vanity was growing to enter upon his hart. And on the one side, finding that he was not able to divert his concourse of people, and that he could not, on the other, deliver himself from those importunate thoughts of vanity, which pressed upon him: he was much afflicted therewith, and putting himselve one day in prayer, he besought our lord with great instance, that for the remedy of those temptations, and to the end that ●e might be conserved in Humility, his divine Majesty would permit, and give liberty to the devil to enter into his body for sometime: and torment him as he did other persons. God heard his prayer, and the devil entered into him, and it was matter of Wonder, and a mazement, to see him bound up in Chains, as a frantic and possessed man, and so to be carried to others to be exercised, to whom not long before, they had been wont to bring possessed persons, that they might be cured by him. Thus he remained five months: and at the end thereof, the story saith, that he was cured, and freed, not only from the devil who had possessed his body, but from that pride alsoe and vanity, which had possessed his soul.  
Surius relates another example like this and saith, that the holy Abbot Severinus had in his Monastery three Monckes, who were a little high and touched with vanity, and pride. He had admonished them thereof, and yet they persevered in their fault. The Saint through the desire he had to see them reform, and humble, besought our lord with tears that he would correct them with some punishment of his own hand: that so they might be humbled, and reform: and before he rose up from prayer, our lord permitted that three devils might possess them, by whom they were greivously tormented: and they confessed, with loud cries, the pride and haughtiness of their own hearts. A punishment very proportionable to the fault, that the spirit of pride should enter and inhabit men, who were full of vanity and pride. And because our lord saw well, that nothing would be so able to humble them, he suffered them to remain so sorty days: at the end whereof the Saint besought our Lord, that he would be pleased to free them from the devil, which he obtained; and so they remained sound both in body and soul, when once they had been thus humbled by this punishment of our Lord.  
Cesarius writes, how they brought a certain possessed person to a Covent of the Cistertian Monks to be recovered. The Prior went out to meet him, and in his company a young Religious man, of whose virtue otherwise, there was a great opinion, besides that he was known to be a Virgin. The Prior said then to the devil. If this Monk command thee to departed, darest thou yet remain? To which the devil made this answer. I fear not him, for he is proud.  
Saint john Climacus relates, how once the devil began to sow certain praises, in the hart of a most valiant Cavallier of Christ, who was running on a pace, towards this virtue of Humility. But he being moved by the inspiration of Almighty God, met with a very short way, for overcominge the malice of those perverse spirits; and it was, that he wrote upon the wall of his Cell, the names of some most admirable virtues; namely Perfect Charity, most Profound Humility Angelical Chastity most Pure and high Prayer; and the like. And when those ill thoughts of pride began to tempt him, he made this answer. Let us come to the proof of it, and so he red those titles, & especially that of most Profound Humility: and said This have not I, I would be glad that it were even but Profound, for I know not whether I be arrived to the first degree thereof. Perfect Charity? Charity if you will, but as for Perfect, it is not very perfect. For I speak sometimes quick, and Loud to my brethrem. Angelical Chastity? No for I have many ill thoughts, yea and I find many ill motions in myself Most high Prayer? No, for I am much distracted, and sleeppy therein, And then he said thus to himself; When thou shalt have obtained all these virtues, say yet that thou art an unfruitful and unprofitable servant, and for such must thou hold thyself, according to those words of Christ our Lord, Cum seceritis omnia quae praecep●a sunt vobis, Diciteserui inutiles sumus. But now when thou art so fare off what canst thou think of thyself.  
Prosed be God and his B. Mother.   
FINIS.